A.  H.  BROWN, 

Lieut.  Col.  96th,  O.  V.  I. 


SERVICES 


OF    THE 


NINETY- SIXTH 


OHIO    VOLUNTEERS 


BY  J.  T.  WOODS,  M.  D., 

Late  Surgeon  QQth  Ohio  Vols. 


TOLEDO,    OHIO: 

BLADE  PRINTING  AND  PAPER  CO. 
I874. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1874,  by   H.  S.  Bunker  anl 
J.  T.  Woods,  in  the  Office  of  the   Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


TO  THE 

OFFICERS  AND  SOLDIERS 


J\riqcty-$ixtl)   Oljio   Voltuitcci' 

Who  did  themselves  honor  in  doing  their  country  service,  thii 
effort  to  make  their  deeds  historic  is  respectfully 

DEDICATED. 


M157448 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 
Dedication,  .... 

Explanatory,     ...... 

Preface,        .  .  .7 

CHAPTER  I. 

Scenes  of  1862 — Rendezvous  of  96th  Ohio  Volunteers  at  Camp  Dela 
ware—Mustered  into  Service— Visitors  in  Camp— Move  to  the 
Front  at  Covington,  Ky — Kirby  Smith's  Raid  on  Cincinnati — 
Squirrel  Hunters,  .  9 

CHAPTER  II 

March  to  Falmouth,  Kentucky — An  approach  to  Real  Soldiering — 
Meeting  Troops  Retreating  from  Battle  of  Richmond,  Kentucky — 
Halt  at  Cynthiana — Stringent  Orders — Trick  of  Disobedience  and 
Arrest  of  Officers— Gen.  A.  J.  Smith's  Reprimand— Camp  at  Paris 
and  a  Snow  Storm— "  School  of  the  Soldier" — Stone  Fence  and 
"  Orders  "— "  March  at  Daylight  with  Three  Days'  Rations,"  .  .  14 

CHAPTER  III. 

Camp  at  Memphis — Review — The  Hiawatha  and  Trip  to  Young's  Point 
— Facilities  for  Cooking — Privations  and  Sickness — March  to  Dallas  • 
and  Return — Yazoo  River  and  an  Important  Fact  Learned— Chick- 
•asaw  Bayou  on  the  Line  North  of  Vicksburg — First  Experience 
with  Solid  Shot  and  Shell — Cypress  Swamps — Unsuccessful  Fed 
eral  Charge — Hasty  Retreat— Lucky  Escape — Up  White  River- 
Through  cut-off  to  Arkansas  River — Battle  of  Arkansas  Post — Gen 
eral  Orders,  .  .18 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Camp  at  Young's  Point— Terrible  Suffering— Camp  at  Milliken's  Bend 
— Boating  *'  Overland" — Situation  and  importance  of  Vicksburg — 
Cut- off — Assault  on  the  Enemies'  Works—  Siege — Protection  of 
Providence — Generals  Grant  and  Smith  have  "bad"  Habits— 
.Bio wing-Up  of  Fort  Hill— Astonished  Darkey — Surrender  and 
Victory— March  to  Jackson  and  Return  to  Vicksburg — Explosion 
of  the  Steamer  City  of  Madison — Order  of  Gen.  Burbridge,  .  26 

CHAPTER  V. 

Landing  at  Carrollton— Review  of  the  Corps  by  Generals  Grant  and 
Banks— Hunting  Guerillas  Through  Cane  Brakes — A  Modest  Old 
Thief — Lost — Camp  of  Burbridge's  Brigade — Terribly  Exposed 
Position— Advance  of  the  Enemy  on  Burbridge — Battle  of  Grand 

;...    Coteau — "  Rally 'round  the  Flag  " — Defeat  and  Victory,     .  .    37 


X. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Matagorda  Peninsula — Light  Diet — Col.  Decrow— Fort  Vance — Em 
barkation — Death  of  George  Case,  Co.  G — Landing  at  Algiers,  .  50 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Teche  Country — Cavalry  Fight — Carroll's  Mills — Advance  of  Brigade 
under  Col.  Landrum — Advance  of  Emerson's  Brigade,  accom- 

ganied  by   Gen.  Ransom — Disposition  of  Troops  on  the  Field — 
attles  of  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Peach-Orchard  Grove,  and  Pleas 
ant  Hill— Scenes  on  a  Battle-field — Pontoon  Boats  and  Bridges — 
Monett's  Bluffs— A  Valuable   Contraband— Gen.   A.   J.  Smith— 
Lieut.-Col.  Baily  and  his  Steamboat  Pontoons — Morganza,  .     52 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Embarkation — Mobile  Bay — Military  Geography  of  the  Situation — 
Landing  on  Great  Dauphine  Island — The  Fleet  of  Farragut  Run 
Past  Fort  Morgan— Demolish  the  Rebel  Fleet  and  their  Ram  Ten 
nessee — Surrender  of  Fort  Gaines— Capture  of  Fort  Morgan — Ce 
dar  or  Musquito  Point — Across  the  Gulf  on  the  N.  W.  Thomas — 
An  ''  Enterprising  "  Engineer — The  Atchafalaya — An  Interesting 
Duel—A  Shaky  Boat— Election— Camp  at  White  River,  .  .  82 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Rain-Storm  in  Camp — Consolidations— The  Battalion — A  Scare — Stu 
dying  Navigation  in  Camp— Small-Pox,  ....  106 

CHAPTER  X. 

Landing  on  Mobile  Point—  Inspection — Complimentary  Order — March 
in  the  Sand — An  Army  "  Stuck  in  the  Mud" — March  through  "  Il 
luminated  "  turpentine  Groves — Dan  McClairy — Capture  of  Span 
ish  Fort — Torpedoes — Capture  of  Fort  Blakely — Torpedoes  and 
the  Officer  who  Planted  Them — A  Reason  for  Repentance,  .  112 

CHAPTER  XL 

Stark's  Landing— Surrender  of  the  City  of  Mobile— Excellent  Fortifi 
cations — Fight  at  Whistler — Bridging  Spanish  Creek — Nannahub- 
bah  Bluffs — News  of  President  Lincoln's  Assassination — Mclntosh 
Bluffs — News  of  Johnson's  Surrender— Meeting  of  disarmed  Reb 
els  on  the  Transports — Terror  of  Mrs.  Gen.  Cheatham — Federal 
and  Rebels  on  Same  Boat  to  Mobile — Mrs.  Gen.  Cheatham 
Pacified — Camp  Near  Mobile — Texas  Fire  Eaters — Destruction  of 
Stores  and  Terrible  Conflagration — Mustered  out — Trip  Home — 
Disbanded— Farewell.  ,  .125 

CHAPTER  XII. 

In  Memoriam — Letter  of  Lieut.-Col.  Brown — Color  Bearers — Commis 
sary — Chaplains— Kightlingers— Dick,  .  137 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Complete  Roster  and  Short  Sketch  of  Each  Member  of  the  96th  Ohio 
-     Volunteers — Distances  Traveled  by  the  96th,  .  .  157 


EXPLANATORY. 


"  Issue  three  days  rations  "  was  an  order  so  familiar  to  me 
during  my  service  as  Commissary  Sergeant  of  the  gallant  o6th, 
that  I  involuntarily  called  for  a  Consolidated  Morning  Report  and 
with  "  Requisition  "  was  off  to  obey. 

When  at  Camp  Chase,  on  the  28th  of  July,  1865,  the  day 
previous  to  our  discharge  from  service,  I  issued  "  Hard  Tack  and 
Coffee  "  for  the  last  time  to  the  command,  I  thought  my  duties 
ended.  At  the  Ninth  Annual  Reunion,  held  at  Cardington,  Ohio, 
January  i3th,  1874,  a  resolution  was  passed  requesting  me  to 
complete  what  I  had  partially  undertaken,  viz  :  The  publication  of 
a  History  of  the  96th  O.  V.  I. 

This  was  a  call  for  supplies  not  mentioned  in  "Army  Regula 
tions,"  and  yet  something  that  the  events  of  1862  to  1865  seemed 
to  demand.  I  had  been  out  foraging  and  obtained  of  Sergt.  I.  B. 
ARNOLD  notes  and  Company  Records  collected  during  service, 
and  had  secured  the  assistance  of  one  whose  experience  in  the 
army  was  large  and  varied,  and  whose  keen  appreciation  of,  and 
happy  tact  in  writing  up  military  incidents,  rendered  success 
certain  in  this,  my  last  effort  to  "  obey  orders."  Out  of  friend 
ship  to  myself,  and  hoping  only  to  receive  a  "  soldier's  thank  you" 
and  kindly  recollection  of  his  efforts,  he  has  labored  for  weeks, 
both  day  and  night,  to  prepare  for  publication  such  facts  and 
general  history  of  the  Regiment  as  I  might  furnish,  and  I  take 
pleasure  in  introducing  as  the  writer  of  this  work  my  friend, 
Surgeon  J.  T.  WOODS. 

Except  in  few  instances,  special  mention  of  officers  or  privates 
for  gallant  conduct  has  been  omitted,  because  of  all  who  partici- 


VI. 

pated  in  the  bloody  scenes  of  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Grand 
Coteau,  Sabine  Cross  Roads  and  other  hard-fought  battles,  there 
were  few  whose  conduct  was  not  heroic.  The  name  of  each 
officer  and  private,  with  brief  mention  of  service,  is  given  in 
regular  order. 

Few  regiments  suffered  as  ours  from  exposure  and  disease, 
while  our  losses  incident  to  battle  were  large.  We  may  point 
with  pride  to  the  services  of  our  Regiment  and  the  high  estimation 
in  which  it  was  held  by  Brigade  and  Division  Commanders,  as 
indicated  by  complimentary  orders,  some  of  which  are  published 
in  this  work. 

To  those  who  mourn  the  loss  of  husbands,  fathers  or 
brothers,  this  record  of  the  events  in  which  they  participated,  it  is 
hoped,  will  be  a  source  of  gratification,  while  to  the  gallant  war 
worn  little  band,  whose  services,  by  reason  of  the  surrender  of 
rebel  forces  in  the  Department  of  the  Gulf  and  elsewhere,  were  no 
longer  required,  and  who  were  discharged  July  29th,  1865,  this 
work  presents  a  record  of  which  each  may  justly  be  proud. 

.  Trusting  that  our  three  years'  service,  to  more  fully  establish 
Free  Government,  may  not  have  been  in  vain,  let  us  meet 
together  from  time  to  time  and  bring  to  our  midst  the  old  tattered 
flag — our  flag — around  which  cluster  memories  of  the  "  dark  days  '' 
which  tried  men's  souls,  and  at  the  last  "roll  call  over  the  river," 
may  all  happily  answer — here. 

Respectfully,  6°<r., 

H.  S.  BUNKER. 


PREFACE. 


The  object  in  preparing  this  unpretentious  volume  is  to  place 
a  sketch  of  the  History  of  the  96th  Ohio  Volunteers  in  permanent 
form,  chiefly  for  the  benefit  of  the  survivors  of  that  command  and 
the  friends  of  those  who  gave  their  lives  to  their  country  while 
serving  under  its  banner. 

As  the  events  of  the  great  WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION  become 
dimmed  in  the  shadows  of  receding  years,  increased  interest  will 
attach  to  them  and  the  pages  in  which  they  are  recorded  become 
valuable,  with  all  their  omissions  and  imperfections;  for  our 
posterity  cannot  fail  to  refer  with  just  pride  to  those  who  offered 
their  lives  for  the  preservation  of  REPUBLICAN  LIBERTY,  as  we  do 
to  those  who,  in  the  dark  days  of  SEVENTY-SIX,  won  its  blessings 
for  the  world,  bequeathing  all  to  our  care  and  keeping. 

The  task  of  preparation  was,  on  my  part,  reluctantly  under 
taken  at  the  urgent  solicitation  of  my  friend,  Mr.  H.  S.  BUNKER, 
who,  as  Commissary  Sergeant,  served  in  this  command,  and  to  whose 
zeal  and  energy  his  comrades  are  indebted  for  whatever  they  may 
find  either  pleasing,  interesting  or  valuable  in  its  pages,  as  he  has 
not  only  spent  much  time  and  labor,  in  various  ways,  in  relation 
to  it,  but  assumed  the  responsibilities  attendant  upon  its  pub 
lication. 

The  basis  on  which  this  history  is  written  is  a  series  of  notes 
of  events  kept  by  Sergeant  I.  B.  ARNOLD,  of  Co.  G.  Being  a 
record  made  day  by  day  of  incidents  as  they  transpired,  they  not 
only  afford  data  that  is  accurate  and  reliable,  but  the  view  taken 
of  occurrences  by  an  observing  private  in  the  ranks.  Many 
valuable  details  have  been  added  from  the  notes  and  recollections 


VIII. 

of  Mr.  BUNKER  and  Lieut. -Col.  A.  H.  BROWN,  both  of  whom  served 
with  the  Regiment  from  the  beginning  to  the  close  of  its  career.  The 
sources  of  his  information  are  such  that  the  writer  feels  warranted 
in  affirming  his  belief,  that  in  all  particulars  that  which  is  presented 
is  fact  deserving  in  justice  to  find  a  place  in  History. 

The  diary,  notes  and  recollections  referred  to  would,  almost 
of  necessity,  give  this  sketch  the  narrative  form,  and  suggest, 
as  its  plan,  an  effort  to  present  in  the  order  of  their  occur 
rence,  such  an  account  of  their  pleasures,  privations  and  perils, 
that,  as  a  whole,  would  make  it  a  fair  picture  of  their  actual  duties 
in  the  field,  from  the  first  bugle  call  to  "  fall  in,"  to  the  last  "  taps  " 
before  returning  home. 

Its  incompleteness  is  both  acknowledged  and  regretted,  and 
results  entirely  from  the  fact  that  it  has  not  been  possible  to 
obtain  accurate  knowledge  of  a  multitude  of  important  events 
and  incidents — but  an  earnest  effort  has  been  made  to  avoid,  so  far 
as  possible,  errors  of  omission  as  well  as  "  sins  of  commission." 

Following  these  data,  it  will  be  found,  that  in  some  partic 
ulars,  the  account  herein  given  varies  from  that  by  others,  and  that 
certain  descriptions  and  details  of  incidents  have  been  entered 
into  that  have  not  heretofore  been  furnished  to  the  public. 

As  to  the  manner  of  the  recital,  the  writer  has  only  to  observe, 
that  he  has  suffered  not  a  little  trepidation,  being  conscious  that 
there  must  be  in  it  a  multiplicity  of  imperfections.  He  has,  however, 
endeavored  to  be  as  painstaking  as  was  the  California  parson,  who 
observed  solemnly  that,  "whether  \\epraycd  or  played,  he  tried  to 
do  his  level  best" 

J.  T.  W. 


FIRST  YEAR. 


CHAPTER  I. 

FROM    CAMP    DELAWARE    TO    LEAVING    COVINGTON,    KY. 

Eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-two  !  How  many  yet  live  who  re 
member  well  its  thrilling  incidents  and  scenes.  The  North  as  a 
people  had  just  come  to  feel  that  all  they  held  dear  was  endan 
gered  by  the  persistent  wickedness  of  their  "  misguided  Southern 
brethren,"  and  to  comprehend  the  duty  devolving  upon  them. 
All  along  the  lines  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  "  far  West,"  the  few 
soldiers  in  the  field  sent  up  the  cry  for  help — overpowered  we  per 
ish — and  grandly  was  the  response  made  by  prompt  enlistment, 
and  hurried  movement  to  the  front.  News  of  disasters  only 
hastened  the  work.  Thrilled  with  the  accounts  of  unexpected 
perils,  it  only  required,  at  most,  a  recital  of  the  startling  facts 
and  men  vied  with  each  other  in  their  haste  to  be  enrolled.  There 
was  quick  sundering  of  other  ties,  and  cleaving  to  the  one  great 
impulse  of  patriotism. 

Those  were  times  that  equally  tried  the  souls  of  those  who 
went  and  those  left  behind.  Hearts  beat  high  with  hope,  inspired 
by  duty  and  the  pomp  of  war.  The  cheeks  of  others  were  flushed 
with  just  pride  of  their  fathers,  sons  and  brothers ;  but  their  hearts 
beat  sadly,  as  through  tears  they  saw  them  go — alas!  to  many 
never  to  return.  All  the  wide  country  was  dotted  with  camps  of 
rendezvou,  and  everywhere  the  sublime,  sad  drama  was  the  same. 
It  is  gratifying  to  call  to  mind  how  large  was  found  to  be  the  pro 
portion  of  those  who  instantly  sunk  all  political  differences  out  of 
sight,  and  in  common  pledged  for  their  country's  safety,  their 
honor,  their  strength  and  their  lives,  and  of  those  who  did  not  go 
how  few  there  were  who  sought  at  home  to  aid  the  cause  of  treason, 
that  their  friends  and  neighbors  were  periling  their  all  to  crush. 
2 


10  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.    I. 

Camp  Delaware  was  located  near  the  City  of  Delaware,  Ohio, 
and  there,  on  August  ipth,  1862,  was  mustered,  into  the  service  of 
the  United  States, 

THE    96TII    OHIO    VOLUNTEERS. 

The  men  comprising  this  regiment  were  hastily  gathered  from 
the  counties  of  Delaware,  Knox,  Logan,  Union,  Marion  and  Mor 
row,  every  branch  of  the  industries  of  this  cultivated  region  being 
represented  on  its  rolls. 

There  was  nothing  in  the  gathering  together  of  this  command 
that  was  not  common  to  it  with  others.  Its  career  was  such  as 
war  with  a  foe  both  powerful  and  desperate  created  for  an  army 
of  a  million  men,  and  in  which  all  shared  in  privation  and  peril, 
victory  and  defeat,  as  well  as  in  the  glory  of  ultimate  success  over 
the  enemies  of  their  common  country.  Its  history  cm  only  be  a 
plain  statement  of  events  in  which  their  comrades  shared,  and 
from  whose  brow  or  tomb  no  garland  leaf  shall  be  taken  away. 

Gathered  from  the  study,  the  counter,  the  workshop  and  the 
field,  transplanted  from  homes  filled  with  comforts  and  many 
luxuries,  into  a  camp  that  afforded  only  the  earth  beneath  and  sky 
overhead,  these  practical  men  lost  no  time  in  building  barracks,  at 
which  they  worked  with  right  good  will,  meanwhile,  with  as  much 
cheeriness  as  possible,  cultivating  an  acquaintance  with  hard  tack 
and  bacon,  and  the  severe  restraints  and  restrictions  that  are  in 
dispensable  to  the  duties  of  the  soldier. 

Nor  were  they  forgotten  by  their  friends  in  the  country  about 
them.  Troops  of  visitors,  from  tottering  men  to  prattling  babes, 
enlivened  the  camp  during  the  day.  To  the  greetings  of  loved 
ones  was  added  the  cheerfulness  of  general  society,  and  an  evi 
dence  of  the  deep  interest  attaching  to  them  and  the  cause  for 
which  they  forsook  home  for  the  camp  and  field.  The  dis- 
tastefulness  of  the  rations  was  modified  by  dainties  contributed  by 
ladies,  who  often  lingered  until  after  dress  parade.  During  the 
brief  stay  of  the  regiment,  they  were  complimented  by  a  visit  from 
Governor  Todd  and  several  other  officers  of  State,  the  Governor 
delivering  to  the  command  an  eloquent  and  stirring  address,  filled 
with  the  patriotic  ardor  that  actuated  him  throughout  the  war. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  11 

Sunday,  the  3ist,  was  particularly  bright  and  cheerful.  A  man 
that  has  a  soul  within  him  will  instinctively  feel  proud  when  decked 
in  the  martial  dress  of  his  country.  Our  uniforms  were  bright  and 
new,  our  arms  burnished  to  glittering  perfection,  which  enabled 
us,  on  dress  parade,  to  vie  with  the  dress  and  beauty  of  our  nu 
merous  and  both  interesting  and  interested  visitors.  This  glimpse 
of  military  romance  and  vanity  was  suddenly  dissipated  by  the 
reading  of  orders  to  be  ready  to  move  for  the  front  on  the  follow 
ing  morning  by  railroad  train,  at  exactly  six  o'clock. 

Then  came  the  tearful,  swift  good-byes,  the  tender  blessings  that 
linger  still  in  many  a  memory  and  garland  many  -a  grave.  It  had 
been  but  twelve  days  since  we  were  mustered  into  the  service,  and 
our  duties  as  soldiers  were  necessarily  almost  a  mystery,  as  it  re 
quires  many  months  to  discipline  and  drill  raw  recruits.  The  regi 
ment  was  fortunately  composed  of  not  only  cultivated  but  earnest 
men,  and  responding  to  the  orders  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Brown  in 
command,  astonished  all  concerned  in  their  transportation,  by 
being,  on  their  first  movement  from  camp,  ready  at  exactly  the 
appointed  time.  The  few  moments  we  waited  there  were  strangely 
thrilling.  Our  transition  from  peaceful  scenes  to  those  of  war 
and  strife,  had  actually  begun.  We  were  now  leaving  the  tender- 
est  of  friends  to  face  murderous  enemies,  leaving  homes  that  some 
of  us  should  never  see  again.  The  locomotive's  whistle  in  very 
kindness  broke  the  thread  of  painful  revery,  and  we  were  whirling 
on  our  way. 

The  rebel  general,  Kirby  Smith,  was  hovering  around  Cin 
cinnati,  through  which  we  passed  in  the  evening  to  Covington, 
which  was  then  the  front.  We  were  south  of  Mason  and  Dixon's 
line,  in  the  land  of  slavery,  in  the  State  of  haughty,  defiant,  neutral 
Kentucky,  but  were  courteously  received  by  the  loyal  citizens, 
who  treated  us  to  a  splendid  and  welcome  supper  at  the  armory. 
The  forces  at  this  point  were  commanded  by  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith,  U. 
S.  A.,  and  Col.  Vance,  96th  Ohio,  although  inexperiencd,  was  out 
of  necessity  placed  in  command  of  a  brigade,  the  command  of 
the  regiment  devolving  on  Lieut.-Col.  Brown.  The  various  com 
panies  were  posted  at  different  points  in  and  about  the  city,  each 
charged  with  important  duties,  the  bustle  and  deep  concern  grat- 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

ing  harshly  on  the  nerves  of  the  clerk  and  plowboy  soldiers.  This 
concern  was  not  only  deep  but  earnest.  The  country  was  aroused 
and  Ohio  not  only  sent  her  volunteers,  but  poured  out  a  vast  horde 
of  "  Squirrel  Hunters,"  for  the  protection  of  her  city  and  her  honor 
as  a  State. 

Kirby  Smith,  with  a  vast  army  of  rebel  veterans,  was  swoop 
ing  down  upon  them,  cool,  wary  and  self-possessed,  his  men 
all  transformed  into  that  strange  being,  the  disciplined  soldier, 
while  to  oppose  him  came  raw  regiments  that  knew  nothing  of 
discipline,  drill  or  maneuver,  and  who,  sustained  by  pride  only, 
would  stand  up  and  fight,  and  if  need  be,  die,  but  could  not  be  moved 
in  action,  as  in  so  doing  they  would  inevitably  go  to  pieces.  The 
coolness  with  which  they  faced  the  impending  peril  was  something 
remarkable. 

The    war    cloud    to    the    South    was    little    less    disquieting 
than   the   absolute  terror  among  the   citizens,  who  saw  in  fancy 
their  loved  homes  riddled   with  shot,  contending  armies  sweep 
ing  the  streets  and  they  fleeing  with  their  families  for  shelter. 
Nothing  that  apparently  could  add  to  the  excitement  was  absent. 
Rebels  conveyed  information  through  the  lines  and  came  back  to 
spread  the  most  appalling  news.    Not  without  the  best  of  reasons, 
the  most  watchful  care  was  exercised  to  avoid   surprise.     Ner 
vous  anxiety,  and   entire  want  of  familiarity  with  the  duty,  led  to 
frequent  alarms.     Troops  turned  out   to  the  thrilling   long-roll, 
marched  quickly  to  the  supposed  point  of  danger  amid  the  ring 
ing  of  alarms  on  the  city  bells,  expecting  to  take  a  hand  in  the 
clash  of  arms  and  to  witness  actual  bloodshed.     All  the  regiments 
present  had  about  the  same  experience,  and  few  escaped  some  in 
cident  such  as  befell  companies  C  and  B.     The  former  had  been 
sent  out  to  Fort  Mitchell,  for  the  double  purpose  of  serving  as  an 
out-post  and  to  aid  in  mounting  some  heavy  guns  in  the  Fort. 
About  noon  one  day  they  noticed  down  the  road  in  the  direc 
tion  of  danger,  an  ominous  cloud  of  dust,  rising  continually,  and 
coming  nearer  and  nearer.     Such  a  cloud  could  only  be  made  by 
a  moving  cavalry  command,  and  such  it  must  be.     Company    C 
quickly  formed,  for  the  first  time  to   meet  the  foe,  and  for  the 
first  time  accept  challenge  to  battle.      But  no  one  faltered,    and 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  13 

Corporal  Scott,  afterward  Chaplain,  expressed  his  feelings  on  the 
subject  in  hand,  by  observing,  "  Boys,  trust  in  the  Lord,  keep  your 
powder  dry,  and  shoot  straight  when  they  come."  Company  B 
had  been  sent  for,  and  by  a  forced  march,  in  the  hot  sun,  their 
knapsacks  heavily  loaded  with  all  sorts  of  wares  brought  from 
home,  arrived  in  a  breathless  condition,  and  formed  in  line  with 
their  comrades,  just  in  time  to  join  in  the  discovery  that  the  enemy 
was  an  approaching  drove  of  mules ! 

We  look  back  now,  with  a  smile,  on  what  were  then  most  serious 
matters,  and  wonder  that  Kirby  Smith  did  not  carry  out  his  plans, 
by  descending  on  our  undisciplined  masses,  running  over  our 
trifling  rifle-pits  and  earthworks,  constructed  with  toil,  in  rair  y 
mud  and  often  with  the  ditch  on  the  wrong  side.  But  perhaps  he 
was  deterred  by  the  horde  of  "  Squirrel  Hunters,"  who,  each  filled 
to  the  brim  with  patriotism,  made  this  invasion  a  personal  matter, 
to  be  settled  by  the  unerring  squirrel  rifle.  He  certainly  would 
have  been  filled  with  fear,  had  he  appreciated  the  nonchalance 
with  which  they  made  their  camps  "  lively"  with  song  and  story, 
while  they  shot  at  mark,  just  to  keep  their  hands  in,  until  the  in 
vaders  should  become  targets  ?  All  joined  in  genuine  exultation, 
when  it  was  known  that  Kirby  had  retired,  especially  our  "  Squirrel 
Hunters,"  who  glided  quietly  home,  while  we  prepared  at  once  to 
look  elsewhere  for  laurels. 


CHAPTER  II. 

ARRIVAL    AT    MEMPHIS. 

Breaking  camp  on  the  8th  of  October,  we  took  our  line  of  march 
for  Falmouth,  Kentucky.  The  exciting  scenes  and  exacting  toils 
through  which  we  had  passed,  seemed  to  us,  to  be  about  all  we 
could  endure  and  live.  Our  course  now  lay  through  a  very  rough 
and  broken  country,  it  being  often  necessary  to  aid  the  teams  in 
moving  the  wagon  trains  up  the  hills,  water  being  very  scarce,  the 
sun  pouring  down  upon  us  with  scorching  heat,  our  heavily-laden 
knapsacks  and  accoutrements  adding  their  weight  to  our  weariness, 
we  toiled  through  our  first  rehearsal  of  real  soldiering.  Among 
the  incidents  of  the  march,  all  will  remember,  how  amid,  what 
then  seemed  terrible  pains  and  privations,  we  met  the  remnants  of 
the  95th  Ohio,  that  had  been  scattered  into  fragments  at  Richmond, 
Ky.  Their  doleful  looks  and  sad  condition ;  their  account  of 
battle,  defeat  and  disorganized  retreat,  would  have  shocked  any 
men  on  earth.  We  are  proud  that  it  only  shocked,  without  wilt 
ing  us,  or  deterring  our  movement  to  the  front,  while  they  with  all 
haste  sought  the  rear. 

Halting  at  Falmouth  nine  days,  we  arrived  at  Cynthiana 
on  the  2oth,  without  further  incident  worthy  of  remark,  save 
the  continual  impression  on  the  minds  of  both  officers  and 
soldiers,  that  the  war  was  being  conducted  on  peace  principles, 
at  least,  so  far  as  Kentucky  was  concerned.  No  possible  pre 
caution  to  save  our  bitterest  enemies  from  molestation,  either  in 
property  or  person,  was  omitted.  This  volunteer  command  was 
in  earnest,  and  desired  to  begin  to  do  some  hurt  to  traitors,  and 
failed  to  see  merit  in  the  orders  that  forbade  the  least  foraging, 
or  even  the  use  of  rails  or  any  other  convenient  means  of  securing 
comfort  to  the  famished,  starved,  weary,  footsore  soldiers,  who  fol 
lowed,  for  pure  purposes,  the  country's  flag.  Of  these  restrictions, 
the  climax  was  reached  at  Cynthiana,  where  an  order  was  pub 
lished,  prohibiting  any  one,  officer  or  private,  from  leaving  his 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINKTY-SIXTH    O    V.  I.  15 

command  without  going  with  a  squad,  in  charge  of  a  non-com 
missioned  officer,  and  then  for  the  sole  purpose  of  bringing  in 
wood  and  water. 

This  order  seemed  immensely  rigid.  It  not  only  prevented 
foraging  from  the  rebels,  to  supply  pressing  need  in  the  Union 
camps,  but  to  their  minds,  it  restricted  the  rights  and  privi 
leges  of  loyal  citizen  soldiers,  well  earned,  in  the  u  frightful  " 
march  and  privations  just  undergone!  It  was  just  a  little  too 
much;  and  led  to  a  practical  protest,  on  the  part  of  about  a  dozen 
of  the  officers  of  the  96th.  Forming  of  themselves  a  squad,  they 
easily  obtained  a  corporal  to  conduct  them  out  of  the  lines,  when 
after  loitering  about  a  while,  and  what  was  much  more  to  their 
purpose,  shown  their  appreciation  of  the  order,  they  picked  up  a 
few  sticks,  in  mockery,  and  returned  within  the  lines,  well  pleased 
with  the  trick  they  had  played  and  protest  made.  But  it  did  not 
so  well  please  Lieut. -Col.  Brown,  who  with  commendable  prompt 
ness  placed  them  in  arrest.  This  was  an  unexpected  turn  to  their 
nice  little  joke,  and  rendered  all  the  more  painful,  when  they  found 
they  were  to  be  sent  to  the  quarters  cf  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith,  com 
manding  the  division.  From  a  regular  officer,  they  knew  they 
had  no  reason  to  expect  mercy.  Besides,  the  order  trifled 
with,  was  issued  by  him.  If  they  did  not,  they  should  have 
blushed  from  shame.  The  General,  however,  received  them  with 
unexpected  soldierly  urbanity,  gave  them  fatherly  advice  and 
a  laconic  reprimand.  He  rehearsed  the  crime  of  which  they  were 
guilty.  He  stated  the  reasons  for  the  order.  It  was  in  accord 
ance  with  the  instructions  he  had  received  from  his  superiors,  and 
not  an  act  of  his  arbitrary  will.  To  him,  and  through  him  to  them, 
it  was  a  necessity  which  they  had  ignored.  They  had  not  only 
trifled  with  him,  but  with  his  superiors  and  the  country.  He  bade 
them  notice  the  example,  they,  as  officers  in  command,  had  set  to 
the  men  they  commanded,  an  example  of  disobedience !  He 
concluded  by  a  personal  allusion:  "Gentlemen,"  said  he,  "I 
have  been  a  long  time  in  the  regular  service  of  my  country.  I 
have  never  been  in  arrest,  and  have  never  been  reprimanded. 
The  reason  is  that  I  started  out  with  the  fixed  purpose  of  obeying 
orders,  given  me  by  any  one  entitled  to  do  so.  It  is  not  for  me, 


CHAPTER  III. 

FROM    MEMPHIS    TO    YOUNG 's    POINT. 

At  this  point  we  went  into  camp,  and  in  a  short  time  were  re 
viewed  by  General  Sherman,  who  did  not  allow  rain  to  interfere 
with  the  imposing  military  display.  Our  rather  pleasant  stay  was 
terminated  on  the  2ist,  by  taking  passage  on  the  steamer  Hiawa- 
than,  and  moving  down  the  river,  our  objective  point  being 
Vicksburg,  for  the  purpose  of  joining  in  the  combined  attack  of 
Grant  and  Sherman  on  that  stronghold.  Starting  out  in  blissful 
ignorance  of  the  severe  service  awaiting  us  in  this  campaign,  we 
were  soon  brought  to  a  realization  of  circumstances,  that  every 
participant  must  look  back  upon  with  horror.  The  whole  regi 
ment,  and  its  outfit  of  wagons,  teams,  etc.,  together  with  the  iyth 
Ohio  Battery,  with  its  guns,  horses  and  mules,  were  packed  into 
this  small  craft ;  the  stock  being  placed  on  deck,  their  heads  tied 
on  either  side,  forming  between  them  a  narrow  aisle.  The  Com 
missary  at  Memphis  could  furnish  only  partial  rations  of  hard 
bread  and  roasted  coffee,  the  only  resort  being  flour  and  green 
coffee,  that  required  cooking  and  roasting.  It  may  have  been  an 
oversight,  it  may  have  been  a  necessity,  but  certainly  it  was  a  bit 
ter  fatality,  that  the  only  facility  for  cooking,  on  board,  was  one 
small  stove  situated  on  the  after  deck,  and  to  reach  which,  it  was 
necessary  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  two  hundred  pairs  of  treacherous 
heels,  and  the  filth  of  such  a  stable.  At  first  the  coffee  and  meat 
were  there  cooked,  and  eaten  with  the  hard  bread,  but  the  supply 
of  the  latter  being  quickly  exhausted,  we  were  all  forced  to  mix  our 
flour  with  water  and  bake  it  on  the  same  stove.  With  the  best 
effort  possible,  it  often  was  two  o'clock  before  all  had  their  break 
fast  of  the  half-cooked  material.  As  if  this  was  not  all  that  flesh 
and  blood  could  endure,  a  cold  rain  continually  drenched  all  who 
were  not  under  cover,  and  for  sheer  want  of  room,  many  were 
forced  to  remain  on  the  hurricane  deck,  famishing  with  hunger 
and  tortured  with  sleeplessness.  All  day  and  all  night  the  stove 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  19 

was  occupied  by  men  preparing  the  unhealthy  rations  that,  while 
they  saved  from  immediate  starvation,  were  not  slow  in  connection 
with  the  other  causes,  in  developing  diseases  that  were  equally 
fatal  to  those  who  were  exposed  and  those  who  were  packed  close 
in  the  ill-ventilated,  and  over-crowded  apartments.  Everywhere 
before  us  was  sunken  eyes,  thin  cheeks  and  tottering  steps.  Our 
medical  officers,  strive  as  they  might,  were  powerless.  Diarrhoea, 
typhoid  and  erysipelas  were  masters,  everything  rendering  them 
aid.  Death  done  a  frightful  work,  and  very  many  of  the  sur 
vivors  were  but  mere  wrecks  of  their  former  selves. 

Apparently  predestined  to  drink  only  of  the  cup  of  bitterness,  we 
were  disembarked, on  our  way,  at  Milliken's  Bend,where  a  command, 
of  which  the  96th  was  part,  was  ordered  to  proceed  to  Dallas,  dis 
tant  twenty-eight  miles,  a  march  that  will  live  long  in  the  memory 
of  those  who  participated.  They  will  call  to  mind  the  narrow  road 
which,  cut  through  the  dense  cypress  forest  and  thickly  covered  with 
long  trailing  moss,  added  to  our  destitution  and  suffering  a  fune 
ral  gloom ;  the  stretches  of  corduroy  road,  and  the  thick  interven 
ing  mud  of  the  low  marshes,  the  burning  depot  and  warehouse, 
with  their  contents  of  cotton,  the  many  miles  of  railroad  destroyed, 
the  immediate  return  march,  made  in  a  pelting  storm  of  ice-cold 
rain,  the  intense  darkness  of  the  night  and  our  utterly  disheartened 
condition  on  arrival  in  camp,  having  performed  all  this  labor  and 
marched  fifty-six  miles  in  less  than  forty  hours.  After  the  priva 
tions  on  board  the  boat,  the  addition  of  this  arduous  work,  was 
terribly  painful  and  disastrous.  On  the  return  march,  the  rebels, 
like  vultures,  hovered  thick  on  our  flanks  and  rear,  and  into  their 
cruel  hands,  fell  that  day,  scores  of  good  and  true  soldiers,  whose 
exhaustion  was  so  complete,  that  they  halted  in  a  half  delirious, 
blank  despair.  Neither  the  efforts  of  the  rear-guard,  nor  dread 
of  starvation  and  death  in  rebel  prisons,  could  spur  them  on,  and 
man  after  man,  becoming  unable  to  move,  fell  down,  while  others 
moved  almost  unconsciously.  For  miles  before  reaching  camp, 
the  narrow  road  was  so  thickly  strewn  with  fatigued  soldiers,  that 
Col.  Brown,  who  had  command  of  the  rear-guard,  was  compelled 
to  dismount  and  lead  his  horse  in  order^to  avoid  injury  to  the 
sleepers,  who  heeded  neither  danger  nor  death.  He  often  lifted 


20  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

men  from  the  ground,  and  helped  them  to  walk  out  of  the  way,  who 
afterward  declared  they  knew  nothing  of  having  ever  lain  down  in 
the  road  at  all.  It  was  a  night  of  intensest  suffering,  from  which 
very  many  passed  through  the  still  darker  night  of  prison  life, 
and  in  mercy,  from  there  to  the  grave. 

At  once  re-embarking,  we  proceeded  to  the  mouth  of  the  Yazoo, 
a  river  that,  running  south-westerly,  passes  not  far  to  the  north  of 
Vicksburg,  to  empty  into  the  Mississippi.  We  steamed  up  this 
river  to  Johnson's  Landing,  learning  by  severe  experience,  an  im 
portant  lesson  on  the  way.  The  waters  of  the  Mississippi,  on 
which  we  had  been  sailing,  were  so  muddy  as  to  be  forbidding,  and 
it  was  used  by  the  command  with  reluctance  amounting  to  aver 
sion.  In  contrast,  the  waters  of  the  Yazoo  were  most  temptingly 
bright,  clear  and  sparkling.  The  officers  of  the  boat,  with  great 
care  and  kindness,  warned  us  not  to  drink  it  on  any  account,  as 
they  never  do  so  under  any  circumstances  whatever,  not  even  as  a 
diluent  for  any  other  liquid,  with  which  they  might  desire  to  moisten 
their  lips.  With  the  heedlessness  that  characterizes  the  soldier, 
combined  with  a  desire  to  test  the  truth  of  this  statement,  but 
largely  from  the  same  cause  which  led  our  common  forefather  to 
remark,  in  sorrow,  "  Thou  did'st  tempt  me"  with  great  uni 
formity  we  disobeyed  the  injunction.  Clear,  sweet,  cold,  spark 
ling  and  forbidden,  the  draft  was  most  delicious  to  our  lips 
—but  alas  for  the  bright  delusion — we  soon  learned  the  value 
of  the  advice  we  had  scouted.  In  the  hundreds  of  men  becom 
ing  suddenly  and  very  seriously  ill  was  demonstrated  that  insidi 
ous  poison  may  lurk  in  sparkling  sweets,  and  that  in  truth  the 
bright  stream  is  correctly  named  Yazoo — "  River  of  Death." 

Our  ranks  thinned  by  sickness  and  disaster,  the  sunken-eyed 
and  thin-cheeked  command,  together  with  the  other  troops  disem 
barked,  starting  after  dark  on  a  dreary  march  of  seven  miles,  to 
Chickesaw  Bayou,  which  would  place  us  in  front  of  the  rebel  line 
defending  Vicksburg  on  the  north.  The  darkness  threw  around 
us  a  sable  mantle,  as  sick  and  sad,  we  moved  along  the  narrow 
roads,  heavy  with  mud,  interspersed  here  and  there  with  still  worse 
old  corduroy.  The  lands  were  low  and  marshy,  over  which  the 
water  every  year  overflowed,  leaving  its  marks  on  the  dense  forest 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I.  21 

of  cypress  trees,  whose  branches,  laden  with  trailing  moss,  seemed 
to  beckon  us  gloomily  on  to  our  burial.  We  had  moved  but  a  little 
distance  when  the  tedium  was  broken  by  the  crack  of  the  skirmish 
rifle,  the  spectral  flash  and  the  hissing  bullet,  affording  us,  in  this 
double  gloom  of  night  and  cypress  forest,  a  thrilling  introduction 
to  skirmish  fighting,  and  the  enemy  with  which  we  were  to  match 
prowess  and  valor.  As  they  fell  slowly  back,  we  at  last  reached  the 
narrow  bayou,  and  halting,  lay  on  our  arms,  without  fire,  many  of 
the  men  in  mud  and  water,  the  enemy  at  five  in  the  morning  giving 
us  a  new  experience,  by  opening  on  us  with  artillery.  The  morn 
ing  came  at  last  and  revealed  the  fact  that  we  were  in  front  of 
massive  works,  with  only  a  narrow  sheet  of  water  intervening,  and 
our  position  rendered  precarious  by  the  fact  that  the  ground  we 
occupied  was  often  submerged,  the  marks  on  the  trees  showing 
that  frequently  the  waters  were  at  least  ten  feet  deep.  For  about 
four  days,  skirmishing  was  general  along  the  line,  with  no  advant 
age  to  the  Union  forces.  To  raw  troops,  in  a  muddy  cypress 
swamp,  with  no  fire  but  that  of  musket  and  cannon,  no  food,  save 
that  cooked  at  Johnson's  Landing,  seven  miles  away,  and  brought 
in  boxes  and  barrels  to  the  line  of  battle,  and  there  distributed, 
there  could  be  no  severer  ordeal,  and  well  may  our  action  there  be 
held  a  matter  of  pride  by  every  member  of  the  regiment. 

In  due  time  the  grand  effort  was  made.  While  we  engaged  the  en 
emy  in  our  front,  our  comrades  on  the  left  made  a  most  gallant 
charge.  Under  a  galling  fire,  they  threw  a  rude  pontoon  across  the 
deep  bayou  and  over  it  rushed  onto  their  works,  in  the  face  of  a  tor 
nado  of  musketry,  grape  and  canister.  The  very  air  seemed  rent 
into  splinters  by  the  fierce,  sharp  volley  they  delivered,  and  in  an  in 
stant  after  rose,  the  strange,  wild,  half-maniac  yell,  that  drowned  the 
rattle  of  our  musketry.  We  knew  that  with  fixed  bayonets  they 
were  rushing  forward  into  perils  that  appall  stout  hearts,  that 
their  ranks  were  being  mowed  down  with  the  scythe  of  death,  and 
every  instant  we  redoubled  our  efforts  to  render  aid.  But  it  was 
of  no  avail ;  our  comrades  had  only  proved  their  valor  where  suc 
cess  was  impossible,  and  shattered,  tattered  and  bleeding,  they  fell 
back,  save  a  few  regiments  that,  in  the  desperate  endeavor,  had 
reached  a  point  from  which,  either  to  advance  or  retreat,  was  impos- 


2  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I. 

sible.  Around  them  thickly  lay  their  silent  dead.  Their  ears  were 
rent  with  cries  of  anguish  and  calls  for  water,  while  they  could  only 
hug  the  ground.  Close  over  them  through  the  long,  frightful  hours, 
hissed  the  swift-flying  lead  and  iron.  To  rise  up  was  to  be  riddled 
with  bullets,  and  the  death-scattering  shells  exploded  above 
and  among  them.  The  living  could  not  move  from  beside  his  com 
rade  if  he  was  dead,  or  staunch  the  wound  from  which  he  saw  his 
life-blood  flow  away.  At  last  night  enfolded  both  friend  and  foe  in 
her  sable  mantle,  under  cover  of  which,  the  remnant  of  those 
reckless  braves  rejoined  their  comrades. 

Nothing  was  left  but  to  evacuate  a  position  so  painful  and  pre 
carious.  This  was  effected  under  cover  of  the  night,  our  orders  be 
ing,  that  no  man  should  speak  above  his  breath,  or  allow  his  arms 
or  accoutrements  to  make  the  least  noise.  Gladly  did  we  march  in 
solemn  silence  to  the  landing,  and  work  hard  the  remainder  of  the 
night  to  load  up  our  stores,  not  feeling  safe  until  again  on  board 
the  very  boats  on  which  we  had  experienced  so  much  suffering. 
This  feeling  was  well  founded,  for  scarcely  had  we  left  the  shore, 
when  the  foe  appeared  in  force,  just  in  time  to  see  us  wave  our 
adieus  to  the  gloomy  cypress  swamp  and  its  infesting  gray-back 
traitors. 

Having  steamed  down  the  Yazoo  and  up  the  Mississippi,  we 
anchored  at  the  mouth  of  White  River  on  the  8th,  where  the 
command  was  reorganized  under  General  McClernand.  On  the 
9th,  passing  up  White  River,  and  crossing  through  the  "  cut-off," 
to  Arkansas  River,  we  disembarked  on  the  loth,  and  encamped. 
We  were  now  becoming  familiar  with  hardships  and  peril,  our  ex 
perience  being  attested  by  a  list  of  three  hundred  men  unfit  for 
duty,  and  many  moving  forward  from  pure  pride  and  determina 
tion.  On  the  following  morning  the  Fifteenth  Corps  took  their 
position  on  the  right,  the  Thirteenth  forming  on  the  left,  the 
96th  Ohio  being  on  the  left  of  the  second  line  of  the  latter  corps. 
The  careful  disposition  of  troops  showed  clearly  that  desperate 
work  was  intended,  and  that  we  were  now  to  face,  for  the  first  time, 
the  fierce  ordeal  of  actual  battle.  To  observe  the  calm,  steady 
movements,  the  evident  care  in  arrangements  for  the  struggle,  with 
nothing  to  disturb  the  reflections,  is  a  severe  test  for  human  nerves. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  > 

The  click  of  the  gun-lock,  the  ring  of  the  rammer,  everything 
showed  plainly  that  blows  were  to  be  given  and  received,  that 
wounds  and  death  were  awaiting  many.  Pity  'tis  for  him  that  in 
quires,  who? 

The  painful  monotony  was,  for  us,  partially  broken,  by  the  firing 
from  our  gunboats  on  a  line  of  rebel  rifle  pits  that  were  within 
range,  from  which  the  enemy  were  dislodged,  the  command  pass 
ing  over  these  works  during  the  night,  under  the  artillery  fire  of  the 
enemy.  We  listened  with  deep  interest  to  the  skirmishing  as  it  be 
came  more  brisk,  and  at  last,  general.  About  half  past  twelve 
o'clock  on  the  nth,  all  forms  of  anxiety  were  dispelled  by  the 
command.  "  forward."  In  thirty  minutes  our  first  tremor  had 
passed,  we  having  exchanged  shots  and  were  in  the  fierce  volcano 
of  battle.  The  position  of  the  enemy  was  strong,  and  gallantly 
did  they  assail  the  invaders  with  minie  bullet,  shot  and  shell. 
The  hiss  and  shriek  of  missiles  sent  and  received,  deaden  both 
the  sensibilities  to  the  suffering  of  others  and  fear  of  personal  in 
jury,  and  in  common  peril,  officers  and  men  alike,  did  their  duty 
well.  The  rear  line  fired  over  the  front  line,  as  it  lay  on  the 
ground;  but  at  last  the  83d  found  the  position  too  desperate 
and  began  to  fall  back,  when  we  advanced  into  the  dense 
leaden  hail.  We  mingled  with  the  part  of  the  line  that  remained, 
and  the  gallant  Major  of  the  83d  rallied  his  retreating  sol 
diers,  who  came  back  with  a  will,  too  proud  to  leave  their  com 
rades,  and  with  them  now  ready  to  die.  Wavering  hung  the  scale  for 
three  long  hours ;  dark  lowered  the  battle  cloud  through  which 
our  banner  glimmered  above  the  living  and  the  dead,  when  no 
longer  able  to  withstand  the  onsets,  the  white  flag  on  the  fort 
brought  to  us  the  proudest  joy  that  ever  lighted  a  hero's  heart. 

Our  prize  was  over  seven  thousand  prisoners,  with  all  their  artil 
lery,  small  arms,  ammunition  and  accoutrements,  won  only  by 
dauntless  heroism,  and  at  fearful  cost,  as  is  shown  in  our  list  of 
casualties.  Unsheltered,  we  camped  on  the  field,  beneath  the  stars, 
to  mourn  our  lost  comrades  and  think  of  our  far-away  friends. 
The  following  day  wore  away  in  the  performance  of  various  mili 
tary  duties,  and  in  the  evening  a  cold  rain,  followed  by  sleet  and 
snow,  rendered  our  situation  more  dreadful  than  the  battle.  So 


24  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY  SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

pitiable  was  our  state  that  our  commander  hastened  to  use  the 
only  available  means  of  protection  by  placing  the  troops  on  board 
of  the  steamers  on  the  night  of  the  i2th,  the  p6th  being  assigned 
to  the  Louisiana,  the  fleet  steaming  down  the  Arkansas  on  the 
morning  of  the  i3th.  But  here  began  another  painful  experience. 
The  cabins  were  so  crowded  with  sick  and  wounded  that  the  air 
was  thick  with  nauseous  vapors,  that  poisoned  the  very  men  thus 
protected  from  the  keen  winds,  sleet  and  snow,  in  which  two  com 
panies  almost  perished  on  the  hurricane  deck,  the  whole  present 
ing  a  scene  of  ghastly  misery  that  beggars  description.  Under 
these  circumstances  there  is  little  occasion  for  wonder  at  the 
alarming  increase  of  sickness,  and  that  of  the  many  who,  on  the 
22d,  were  started  to  hospital  at  St.  Louis,  few  lived  to  reach  their 
destination.  Hope,  only,  sustained  those  who,  on  that  day,  landed 
at  Young's  Point. 

Our  reference  to  these  eventful  circumstances  cannot  be  better 
concluded  than  by  the  presentation  of  the  following  official  docu 
ments,  one  of  which,  it  will  be  observed,  especially  compliments 
the  96th  Ohio  Volunteers,  in  connection  with  the  83d  Ohio  In 
fantry  and  iyth  Ohio  Battery  : 

HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI.  } 
POST  ARKANSAS,  January  12,  1863.      j 

SOLDIERS  OF  THE  ARMY  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI!  I  congratulate 
you!  Within  seven  days  you  have  sailed  two  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  from  Vicksburg  to  this  Post,  borne  upon  numerous  trans 
ports,  from  time  to  time  furnished  with  fuel  cut  by  you  from  the 
forest.  With  ranks  thinned  by  former  battles  and  disease,  you 
have  waded  and  cut  your  way  through  miles  of  swamps  and  tim 
ber  in  advancing  to  the  attack.  You  have  stormed  the  defences  of 
the  enemy's  position,  which  both  nature  and  art  had  combined  to 
render  extraordinarily  strong,  capturing,  after  three  and  a  half  hours 
hard  fighting,  the  whole  hostile  force  opposed  to  you,  numbering 
seven  thousand  men,  together  with  eight  thousand  stand  of  arms, 
twenty  cannon,  and  a  large  amount  of  commissary,  quartermaster 
and  ordnance  stores. 

A  success  so  complete  in  itself  has  not  hitherto  been  achieved 
during  the  war.  It  is  an  important  step  towards  the  restoration  of 
our  national  jurisdiction  and  unity  over  the  territory  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Mississippi  river.  It  reflects  honor  upon  your  cour- 


BATTLE-FIELD  OF  ARKANSAS  POST. 


The  battle  of  Arkansas 
Post  was  severely  contest 
ed.  Fort  Hindman  com 
manded  the  river,  and  the 
earth  -  works  connected 
with  it  were  very  strong. 
The  Federal  gunboats  ran 
past  the  fort  and  destroyed 
a  bridge  across  the  stream 
above,  which  prevented  escape.  Our  infantry  were  twice  repulsed. 
In  the  third  attack  some  of  our  troops  entered  the  fort  and  the 
rebels  ran  up  the  white  flag.  We  moved  on  to  take  possession, 
and  when  gathered  close  before  them  the  dastards  pulled  down 
their  token  of  surrender  and  opened  on  us  with  terrible  volleys  ot 
musketry  and  grape  and  cannister.  Embittered  by  this  treachery 
and  murder,  our  men  dashed  down  into  the  ditch  and  actually 
climbed  on  each  other's  backs  into  the  works.  The  shouts  of  the 
charging  troops  were  deafening,  and  the  bayonet  did  its  work. 
The  white  flag  was  again  displayed,  and  five  thousand  prisoners 
with  war  munitions,  fell  into  our  hands. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  25 

age  and  patriotism.  It  will  challenge  the  grateful  acclaim  of  your 
country.  Your  and  my  only  cause  of  regret  is  the  loss  of  the 
brave  men  who  have  fallen  or  been  wounded  in  the  defense  of  a 
just  and  sacred  cause.  All  honor  to  them  !  Their  names  and  their 
memory  will  be  cherished  in  the  hearts  of  their  countrymen  ! 

Soldiers !  Let  this  triumph  be  but  the  precursor  oi  still  more 
important  achievements.  Win  for  the  "  Army  of  the  Mississippi  " 
an  imperishable  renown.  Surmount  all  obstacles,  and,  relying  on 
the  god  of  battles,  wrest  from  destiny  and  danger  the  homage 
of  still  more  expressive  acknowledgments  of  your  unconquerable 
constancy  and  valor. 

By  order  of 

JOHN  A.  MCCLERNAND, 
Maj.  Gen.  Commanding  Army  of  Miss. 

HEADQUARTERS  IST  BRIGADE,  IOTH  DIVISION, 

I3TH  ARMY  CORPS, 
BEFORE  VICKSBURG,  Feb.  28,  1863. 

COLONEL  :  With  pleasure  and  gratification  I  herewith  hand  you 
a  copy  of  Gov.  Tod's  letter  commendatory  of  the  bravery  of  your 
command  at  the  battle  of  Arkansas  Post. 

S.  G.   BURBRIDGE, 

[Copy.]  Brig.  Gen'!. 

THE  STATE  OF  OHIO,  EXECUTIVE  DEPARTMENT,  (_ 
COLUMBUS,  Feb.  i,  1863,      \ 

BRIG.  GEN'L  8.  G.  BURBRIDGE,  Fort  Arkansas  Post,  Ark. : 

Dear  Sir:  I  have  to  thank  you  for  the  favor  of  the  i5th  ult,  so 
complimentary  to  the  83d  and  96th  Ohio  Volunteer  Regiments  and 
the  i yth  Ohio  Battery.  Please  say  to  these  brave  officers  and  men 
that  their  gallant  conduct  is  duly  appreciated  by  the  people  of  the 
State  they  love  so  much. 

The  Legislature,  now  in  session,  having  placed  at  my  disposal 
the  means  necessary  to  provide  for  the  sick  and  wounded,  I  at 
once  dispatched  a  suitable  corps  of  surgeons  and  nurses  for  their 
relief  and  removal.  Appreciating  the  hardships  our  gallant 
soldiers  in  the  field  have  to  encounter,  the  good  people  of  Ohio 
take  pleasure  in  doing  all  in  their  power  to  alleviate  their  distress, 
and  also  in  providing  for  the  dear  ones  they  have  left  at  home. 
Please  make  this  known  to  the  gallant  men  under  your  command. 
Very  truly  yours, 

DAVID  TOD, 

Governor, 


CHAPTER  IV. 

CAPTURE    OF    VICKSBURG    AND    JACKSON. 

The  simple  instinct  of  self-preservation  led  us  to  feel  that  the 
regiment  must  halt  and  rest  under  the  best  advantages  for  recu 
peration,  and  that  to  continue  as  we  had  done  was  but  a  march  to 
the  grave,  and  that  march  almost  ended.  Alas,  how  that  self- 
apparent  necessity,  and  the  hope  engrafted  upon  it,  gave  keen  edge 
to  despair  as,  in  a  cold  rain,  we  went  into  camp  in  a  low  cotton 
field,  which  was  protected  from  over-flow  by  the  levee  along  the 
stream,  and  in  which  the  waters  everywhere  stood  in  long  pools 
between  the  cotton  rows,  while  we  were  forced  to  eke  out  a  miser 
able  existence  in  our  low  tents  on  the  muddy  ground  between. 

Our  privations  on  steamers  and  in  cypress  swamps  had  well  fitted 
us  as  victims  to  the  noxious  vapors  and  miasms  of  this  charnel- 
house.  No  relief  was  afforded  by  sanitary  vegetables,  sick  and 
well  alike  finding  their  only  nourishment  in  the  coffee,  hard  bread 
and  side  meat  of  the  army  ration.  Nothing  was  left  us  but  to 
look  back  upon  appalling  exposures  and  into  a  future,  cheerless  as 
the  grave  to  which  we  were  hastening,  as  scurvy,  erysipelas,  ty 
phoid  fever  and  pnuemonia  seemed  to  stand  as  ghastly  sentinels  in 
every  tent. 

The  hospital  rapidly  filled  up.  Its  location  could  be  no  better 
than  that  of  our  tents.  Our  medical  officers  were  utterly  power 
less,  as  by  no  possible  sanitary  measures  could  the  cause  of  our 
sufferings  be  removed,  the  medical  supplies  being  exhausted,  and, 
above  all,  no  vegetables  were  attainable.  The  hospital  could 
be,  then,  little  else  than  a  halting  place  on  the  way  to  the  dead- 
house,  and  a  grave,  on  the  levee  ! 

On  the  i4th  the  regiment  fell  in,  with  seven  days' rations,  bound 
for  Greenville,  Mississippi.  The  strength,  energy  and  pride  of 
every  man  was  brought  to  the  test.  We  had,  twenty-three  days 
before,  sent  our  sick  to  St.  Louis,  and  now  there  were  234  men 
unable  to  embark  on  the  "  Ohio  Belle  "  for  a  brief  foray.  For 


SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O    V.  I.  27 

those  who  were  able  to  go  it  proved  a  rather  pleasant  venture,  af 
fording  some  hard  marching  on  shore,  and  resulting  in  the  finding, 
by  much  strategy,  of  a  rebel  field-battery  or  two  that  were  not 
captured  and  preventing  the  burning  of  a  bridge  across  Deer  Creek; 
also  in  encamping  on  the  plantations  of  Widow  Buckner  on 
the  i6th,  and  that  of  Judge  Dixon  on  the  23d,  where  beef,  pork, 
chickens,  turkeys  and  vegetables  in  abundance  gave  rise  to 
"  sounds  of  revelry  by  night  "  that  alike  on  ear  and  palate  linger 
still. 

Meanwhile  the  horrors  of  camp  at  Young's  Point  intensified.  No 
abatement  of  the  rain,  no  abatement  of  the  diseases  that  did 
their  fearful  work ;  our  hearts  sank  within  us  as  we  saw  our  feeble 
comrades  bearing  the  uncofrmed  dead  to  their  graves.  The  row 
of  little  mounds  on  the  levee  day  by  day  became  longer;  our 
numbers,  day  by  day,  less ;  eyes  more  sunken,  steps  more  feeble, 
souls  more  spiritless.  The  bravest  and  best  of  us  merely  tot 
tered.  Our  condition,  which  he  had  no  power  to  change,  touched 
the  heart  of  the  grand  old  hero,  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith,  who  came  in 
person  to  our  camp  to  sign  official  papers,  and  to  render  such  ser 
vice  as  was  within  his  £ower. 

We  hailed  the  return  of  our  comrades  on  the  26th  with  a  sort 
of  ghastly  pleasure.  Fortunately  they  brought  with  them  some 
additions  to  our  rations  and  relieved  us  of  much  of  the  labor  that 
had  so  severely  tasked  the  tottering  men.  It  also  fell  to  their  lot 
to  aid  in  the  digging  of  the  celebrated  "  cut-off,"  by  which  it  was 
hoped  to  straighten  the  course  of  the  "  Father  of  Waters  "  and 
leave  Vicksburg  far  inland  to  her  fate. 

Our  dreary,  painful  stay  was  terminated  on  the  i2th  of  March, 
when  we  were  transported  by  steamers  to  Milliken's  Bend,  leaving 
one  hundred  and  ninety-six  of  the  96 th  Regiment  in  their  graves 
on  the  levee. 

This  proved  to  be  our  long  looked  for  haven  of  rest  and  recu 
peration.  Under  the  advantages  here  afforded,  thirty  days  pro 
duced  such  wonderful  changes  that  when,  on  the  i2th  of  April,  we 
marched  again  for  the  field  at  Vicksburg,  though  few  in  numbers, 
we  had  the  pride  and  pluck  that  makes  the  soldier. 

Proceeding  slowly  westward  through   the  cypress   swamps,   in 


28  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH   O.  V.  I. 

about  forty  miles  we  reached  a  swift  running  bayou,  formed  from 
the  breaking  of  a  levee  above.  The  water  thus  set  free  ploughed 
its  way  through  the  lowest  grooves  in  the  dense  cypress  forest, 
forming  a  passage  way  through  which  the  Empire  City  had  suc 
ceeded  in  reaching  this  point,  to  bear  us  down  its  swift,  tortuous, 
temporary  channel  to  the  Mississippi.  Nothing  could  be  more 
novel  than  gliding  along  between  the  thick-set  forest  trees  that 
rose  like  columns  in  the  waters,  and  the  effort  to  turn  sharp  angles 
with  the  clumsy  old  boat,  that  in  the  whirlpools  and  eddies  was 
sure  to  take  the  wrong  direction,  running  on  to  roots  and  logs, 
against  trees,  and  into  thickets  of  brush  and  drift-wood.  The 
trunks  of  the  column-like  trees  far  above  spread  out  their  arches  in 
branches  intertwining  across  our  arcadian  pathway;  silvery  moss 
fretted  the  columns  and  arches  and  hung  in  glorious  festoons  and 
tendrils  that  would  have  been  dreamily  beautiful  had  they  not 
knocked  our  smoke-stack  down,  and  in  everyway  tended  to  make 
our  effort  at  boating  overland  a  practical  failure.  But  in  due  time 
we  tied  up  at  a  point  about  five  miles  below  Carthage,  on  the  Mis 
sissippi,  encamping  on  the  plantation  of  Mr.  Perkins,  who,  no 
doubt,  remembers  the  circumstance. 

This  being  a  base  from  which  supplies  must  be  forwarded,  the 
96th  Ohio  was  selected  to  remain  there  for  that  purpose,  owing  to 
the  fact  that  it  was  found  that  the  ordnance  officer  of  the  corps 
had  failed  to  supply  himself  with  the  ammunition  that  was  fitted 
for  our  Belgian  muskets.  On  him  the  complete  soldier's  vocabu 
lary  was  promptly  expended ;  but,  it  being  folly  to  go  forward  with 
out  ammunition,  nothing  was  left  but  to  remain  until  it  could 
be  supplied. 

We  succeeded  in  rejoining  our  comrades  on  the  2gih  of  May,  to 
again  participate  directly  in  the  effort  to  capture  Vicksburg.  This 
city  and  its  defenses,  situated  at  a  very  sharp  bend  in  the  river,  was 
a  very  important  position.  This  arose  from  the  fact  that  the  Mis 
sissippi  River,  a  little  above  and  some  miles  to  the  west  of  this 
point,  bends  almost  directly  to  the  east,  and  turning  sharply  on 
itself  forms  a  long,  narrow  letter  U,  the  western  or  open  portion 
of  which  is  less  than  three  miles  across.  On  the  eastern  shore  of 
the  stream  and  exactly  opposite  the  base  of  the  U  the  lands  are 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  29 

high  and  broken  into  bluffs  and  ridges  by  deep  and  irregular  ra 
vines.  The  celebrated  city  perches  upon  them,  and  frowning 
everywhere  were  her  rebel  forts,  earthworks  and  rifle  pits.  Thus 
situated  at  the  base  of  the  U,  a  vessel  approaching,  passing  and 
leaving  could  not  avoid  being  under  artillery  fire  mile  after  mile ; 
besides  which  the  space  was  lined  with  batteries  far  up  and  down 
the  course  of  the  stream  Thus  was  the  navigation  of  the  river 
as  perfectly  commanded  as  could  be  done  by  the  most  advantag- 
ous  natural  position  and  the  most  powerful  mortars  and  cannon. 

Various  efforts  had  been  made  against  this  point,  all  of  which 
had  proved  fruitless,  as  the  difficulties  were  almost  insurmount 
able.  An  effort  had  been  made  to  cut  a  canal  across  the  open  end 
of  the  U,  and  through  this  carry  the  water  of  the  river  straight 
forward  instead  of  taking  this  circuitous  route — the  effect  of  which 
would  be  to  render  Vicksburg  and  all  its  military  appointments 
entirely  valueless  to  the  rebels  and  harmless  to  us.  By  a 
strange  mischance,  probably  for  want  of  practical  common  sense 
on  the  part  of  the  engineer,  this  canal  was  cut  at  exactly 
the  point  where  the  impetus  of  the  current  would  not  force  its 
way  through  the  artificial  channel.  Consequently  the  river  chose 
its  own  course,  and  the  grand  enterprise  proved  a  failure. 

A  fleet  of  boats  had  sublimely  dared  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  all 
these  batteries,  and  astonished  the  country,  the  enemy  and  the 
world  by  their  success.  This  placed  a  number  of  boats  at  the 
service  of  General  Grant,  both  for  defense  and  transportation  of 
supplies,  and  thus  enabled  him  to  establish  his  base  of  operations 
below  the  city.  Of  course,  everything  must  be  carried  by  land 
across  the  space  intervening  between  the  points  above  and  below 
the  rebel  works  to  which  the  boats  dare  approach.  But  the  dif 
ficulties,  great  as  they  were,  did  not  prove  insurmountable. 

From  this  point,  marching  circuitously  to  the  rear  of  this  strong 
hold,  the  Federal  troops  environed  them  from  shore  to  shore,  and 
the  gunboats  sternly  held  the  river  line.  Thus  surrounding  them, 
they  twice  attempted  to  carry  the  works  by  assault.  Unexam 
pled  bravery  in  attack  and  a  like  heroism  in  defense,  resulted  in 
failure  in  both  attempts,  after  which  the  reduction  of  the  place  by 
siege  was  prosecuted  with  the  utmost  vigor  ;  pressing  as  close  to 


30  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.   I. 

the  rebel  defences  as  man  could  do,  and  building  there  a  line  of 
works  that  could  only  be  shortened  and  the  enemy  made  to 
suffer  unendurable  pressure  by  constructing  others  beyond  this 
and  immediately  under  their  deadly  fire.  But  every  conceivable 
device  was  used  to  effect  this  end.  "  Saps,"  or  baskets,  about 
the  size  of  but  much  longer  than  a  barrel,  constructed  out 
of  withes  and  filled  with  cotton,  were  rolled  over  the  works. 
Men  lying  down  pushed  these  "  saps  "  before  them  as  a  protection 
until  reaching  the  desired  spot,  then  they  instantly  began  securing 
themselves  by  throwing  over  them  earth  enough  to  make  a  bul 
let  and  cannon  shot  proof  embankment. 

Roads  were  slowly  cut  deep  into  the  face  of  the  hills,  proceed 
ing  in  a  zig-zag  course,  but  always  presenting  a  side  of  the  ditch  or 
cut  to  the  enemy,  and  then  turning  at  an  angle  present  the  other 
side.  Through  these  all  supplies  were  carried  forward  to  the 
advanced  positions ;  through  them  the  artillery  was  brought  for« 
ward,  and  the  men  went  to  and  from  their  camps  in  the  rear  to 
their  perilous  duty.  By  day  and  night  incessantly  toiled  the  be 
siegers.  With  fierce  desperation  everywhere  the  besieged  strug 
gled  against  destiny.  In  cellars  and  caves  the  citizens  huddled 
together  in  fear  of  the  Federal  shot  and  shell.  The  immediate 
rear  of  the  rebel  line  of  earthworks  was  found  to  be  honeycombed 
with  caves  of  safety  dug  into  the  ground  and  covered  with  rails 
and  dirt.  It  was  for  this  reason  that  when  the  charges  upon  them 
were  made  they  formed  their  line  of  battle  on  top  of  their  earth 
works,  in  full  view  of  and  an  easy  mark  for  their  enemies.  For 
no  single  moment  did  safety  exist  anywhere.  The  least  exposure 
of  the  person  brought  a  death  messenger,  and  at  forty  rods  these 
veteran  marksmen  were  terribly  accurate. 

This  was  the  condition  of  things  on  the  29th  of  May  when  the 
g6th  moved  into  a  broad  ravine  that  led  directly  to  the  Federal 
front  line,  but  which,  in  turn,  lay  fully  open  to  the  view  of  three 
rebel  forts.  Instantly  they  opened  their  guns  upon  us  and 
plowed  that  narrow  gorge  with  shot  and  shell.  It  was  a  fearful 
avenue  in  which  to  walk  unflinchingly  forward,  and  became  soon 
so  dangerous  that  the  regiment  was  halted  under  a  slight  protec 
tion  and  marched  into  their  camp  by  single  company. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  31 

To  men  fresh  from  scenes  of  peace  and  its  pleasures,  that  camp 
would  have  been  far  from  pleasant,  as  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
three  rebel  forts,  not  eighty  rods  away,  lying  before  a  line  of  mass 
ive  rifle-pits,  all  filled  and  lined  with  the  most  sleepless  and  vigilant 
of  men,  not  a  moment  passed  in  which  the  hiss  and  crash  of  death- 
shot  did  not  flash  around  and  among  us.  But,  so  long  inured  to 
danger,  it  was  really  a  matter  of  little  concern  to  us  further  than 
to  observe  the  plainest  precautions  by  avoiding  unnecessary  ex 
posure. 

Soldiers  are  gradually  schooled  by  their  many  escapes  from  po 
sitions  in  which  it  would  seem  utterly  impossible,  that  they  invol 
untarily  seem  to  believe  in  the  protection  of  Providence.  They 
do  not,  however,  as  a  usual  thing,  feel  warranted  in  carrying  this 
belief  ?o  far  as  to  wantonly  allow  themselves  to  be  exposed  un 
necessarily  and  without  orders,  or  allow  others,  by  their  actions,  to 
draw  the  enemy's  fire  into  their  immediate  vicinity  without  protest, 
as  was  shown  in  the  following  incident : 

The  headquarters  of  the  officers  chief  in  command  were  some 
distance  in  the  rear,  and  in  such  position  as  to  tolerably  well  pro 
tect  them.  These  gentlemen  would  frequently  visit  the  front,  and 
as  they  always  rode  must  attract  the  attention  of  the  enemy. 
Among  these,  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith  had  a  fixed  habit,  from  which 
nothing  deterred  him.  At  nine  o'clock  every  morning,  in  full 
view  of  the  three  forts,  and  through  the  same  broad  ravine  through 
which  the  96th  had  marched  to  their  position,  he  might  be  seen 
riding  the  same  black  pacer,  at  lightning  speed.  At  that  hour  the 
rebel  artillerists  stood  to  their  pieces,  well  knowing  that  they 
would  have  a  chance  to  shoot  at  the  "  old  white  hat,"  which  he 
always  wore.  Nothing  deterred  the  General  from  making  a 
thorough  investigation  of  every  thing  in  and  before  his  Division, 
and,  in  consequence,  the  boys  expected  a  battle  shower  precisely 
at  9  A.  M .  Gen.  Grant  too  made  his  investigations,  at  first  coolly, 
riding  about  with  his  staff,  seeming  to  pay  no  attention  what 
ever  to  consequences,  individual  or  collective.  At  last  he 
seemed  to  have  discovered  that  his  appearing  with  so  many  at 
tendants  caused  an  unnecessary  exposure  of  his  men,  and  at  the 
next  regular  hour  came  alone.  This  did  not,  however,  cause  any 


02  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

abatement  in  attention  to  the  distinguished  individual  who  had 
formerly  rode  the  field  with  a  retinue.  To,  if  possible, 
abate  this  nuisance,  the  General  again  appeared  without  in 
signia  of  rank  and  mounted  on  a  mule.  He  halted  in  rear 
of  the  96th  Ohio,  surveyed  the  position  in  open  view  of  the 
enemy,  and  intent  on  losing  no  item,  coolly  drew  his  field-glass, 
took  a  steady  survey,  without,  apparently,  noticing  the  well-aimed 
shot  and  shell  that  whizzed  past  or  exploded  above  and  around 
him. 

This  play  of  fire-works  over  the  soldiers  in  the  trenches  was  a 
little  trying  to  their  nerves,  and  one  of  the  men  becoming  indig 
nant,  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice  to  the  distinguished  observer, 
who  was  only  a  few  rods  distant,  "  See  here,  you  d — d  old  fool,  if 
you  don't  get  off  that  mule  you'll  get  shot !  "  Some  one  who 
chanced  to  know  who  it  was,  told  the  friendly  adviser,  and  received 
as  a  reply,  "  I  don't  care  who  it  is;  what's  he  foolin'  'round  here 
for,  any  way  ?  We're  shot  at  enough  without  taking  any  chances 
with  him." 

Thus,  day  after  day,  mingled  comedy  with  tragedy,  and  day  and 
night  the  toilers  plied  their  guns  and  spades. 

On  a  commanding  elevation  within  the  rebel  lines  stood  the 
most  terrible  of  the  rebel  forts.  The  men  who  experienced  its 
ministrations  named  it  u  Fort  Hill."  Seeming  to  be,  in  a  measure, 
the  key  of  the  rebel  line  of  defences,  and  otherwise  perfectly  im 
pregnable,  an  attempt  to  reduce  it  by  strategy  was  resolved  upon. 
In  the  side  of  the  hill  on  which  it  stood,  and  within  the  Federal 
lines,  a  tunnel  was  opened,  and  by  careful  engineering  and  the 
utmost  caution  in  prosecuting  the  work,  it  was  extended  to  a 
point  immediately  beneath  the  rebel  fortress,  where  a  large 
amount  of  powder  was  so  stored  that  its  explosion  would  create  a 
volcano  above  and  an  earthquake  about  it.  This  undertaking  was 
prosecuted  with  great  care,  for  should  the  sounds  of  the  workmen 
reach  the  ears  of  the  rebels  sleeping  above,  or  should  they  notice 
the  fresh  earth  that  must  be  removed,  the  gigantic  plot  of  a  fear 
ful  tragedy  would  be  destroyed.  But  at  last  all  was  perfected,  the 
fuse  laid  and  the  hour  of  execution  designated.  With  few  ex 
ceptions  the  Federal  spectators  knew  as  little  of  what  was  to 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I.  «* 

transpire  as  did  their  "misguided  brethren."  The  morning 
dawned  bright  and  clear  upon  friend  and  foe.  Men  noticed  that 
all  the  infantry  had  been  brought  forward  and  crowded  into  the 
trenches ;  artillerists  stood  to  their  pieces,  and  the  gunboats  on  the 
river  had  taken  the  best  possible  position  to  deliver  effective  fire. 
Presently  the  dread  silence  was  broken  by  the  signal  gun,  and  in 
stantly  seven  hundred  cannons  and  mortars  from  their  iron  throats 
pour  death-shot  on  the  rebel  lines ;  every  musket  flashed  out 
its  spiteful  minie-ball,  and  a  crashing  hurricane  sweept  far  and 
wide.  From  all  our  ten  miles  of  tortuous  line,  as  it  hugged 
close  around  the  rebel  stronghold,  the  thunder  sound,  the  forward, 
flashing  blaze,  and  above  all  the  thin  white  smoke  that  from  the 
first  volley  rose  toward  the  calm,  blue  skies,  would  have  been  glo 
rious  as  a  dream — if  it  had  been  nothing  more 

Without  an  instant's  cessation  the  fearful  duel  continued.  The 
air  was  filled  with  startling  sounds  and  stifling  vapors ;  swift  death 
at  random  plied  his  vindictive  scythe.  Nothing  daunted,  the 
beleagured  men  defiantly  replied  from  every  fort  and  rifle-pit, 
feeling  that  it  nothing  else  was  secure,  the  earth  beneath  them  at 
least  was  steadfast.  But  an  earthquake  shudder  ran  through  the 
hills,  and  a  vast  chasm  opened  beneath  massive  and  impregnable 
Fort  Hill !  Between  its  yawning  jaws  poured  a  vast  column  of 
dense  smoke;  the  thick-ribbed  earth  broke  into  fragments  that 
were  hurled  high  in  air,  with  the  unsuspecting  victims,  who  reached 
the  earth  bruised,  black,  dead ;  or  in  fragments  lay  sea  ttered 
around,  sad  wrecks  of  mangled,  mad  humanity.  A  vast  cloud  of 
earth  was  thrown  upon  the  line  of  Federal  troops  that  lay  ready  to 
charge  into  the  open  breach.  They  were  thus  delayed,  and  with 
unexampled  courage  the  rebel  soldiers,  seeing  disaster  upon  them, 
instantly  sprung  on  top  of  their  works,  on  either  side,  and  in  open 
view,  close  before  the  belching  musket  and  cannon,  ran  in  and  filled 
the  gap  made  by  the  frightful  explosion.  But  quickly  the  Federal 
soldiers  advanced  to  the  charge.  It  was  muzzle  to  muzzle, 
steel  to  steel.  They  were  mowed  down  by  the  brave  men  who  had 
rushed  into  the  "  imminently  deadly  breach."  A  few  reached  and 
entered  the  fort,  and  hand  to  hand  fought  for  possession.  Rebel 
artillery  in  the  rear  of  the  fort  poured  its  shot  into  it,  among  friend 


34  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

and  foe  alike.     It  was  a  boiling  maelstrom,  in  which   the  Federal 
troops  were  washed  to  the  shore. 

In  connection  with  this  event  an  incident,  attested  to  me  by  sev 
eral  eye-witnesses,  occurred,  In  Fort  Hill,  at  the  time  of  the  ex 
plosion,  was  a  black  man,  acting  as  cook  or  steward  This  man. 
carried  up  by  the  explosion,  made  his  flight  high  through  the  air, 
and  came  down  as  good  as  new,  within  the  Federal  lines,  more  than 
forty  rods  distant.  He  did  not  suffer  even  a  serious  concussion  or 
bruise,  and  went  about  his  business  thereafter  in  total  uncon 
sciousness  of  having  been  a  "party  of  the  first  part"  in  a  miracle. 

Thus  day  by  day  passed  by,  the  country  watching  in  painful 
anxiety,  while  we,  in  a  strange  sort  of  calm  indifference,  toiled  on 
with  mortar,  cannon,  musket  and  spade,  resolutely  content  with 
our  hard-tack  and  the  unceasing  chorus  of  arms. 

The  rebels  maintained  their  position  with  the  greatest  determin 
ation,  defending  every  point  with  the  utmost  gallantry,  but  a  cor 
don  of  destruction  enfolded  them,  as  inflexible  as  fate  and 
unfaltering  as  death.  Nothing  beneath  the  skies  could  avert  the 
dcx  m  that  hunir  like  a  pall  above,  around  and  about  them.  They 
finp.lly  read  aright  the  lesson  of  fate,  and  on  the  ^d  of  July  two 
rebel  officers  bore  the  white  flag  of  peace  to  our  picket  line.  On 
the  instant  that  it  rose  above  the  rebel  works,  the  solemn  silence 
of  .-i we  respected  the  regrets  of  brave  men.  Gen.  Bovven  and 
Col  Montgomery,  presenting  themselves,  under  its  protection,  to 
Capt  Leonard,  p6th  Ohio,  were  conducted  by  him  to  the  head 
quarters  of  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith. 

Of  course,  we  knew  little  of  the  actual  condition  of  the  enemy, 
but  noticed,  with  deep  curiosity,  these  not  now  over-haughty 
"  Southrons  "  as  they  passed  by  us,  and  conjectured  that  all  was 
not  well  "over  tkar"  This  conjecture  was  verified  on  the  follow 
ing  day,  when  the  hosts  that  had  battled  with  such  stubborn 
bravery  stacked  their  arms,  prisoners  of  war.  and  Gen.  Grant  pre 
sented  Vicksburg  and  its  traitors  a  "  4th-of-|uly  gift  "  to  the  coun 
try. 

They  know  little  of  joy  who  have  not  reveled  in  the  ecstacy  of 
a  battle-field  victory.  Like  it  there  is  no  other  intoxication.  We 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I.  35 

forgot  our  losses,  our  sufferings  and  our  sorrows,  and  all  that  vast 
army — 

"In  a  bliss  so  divine, 
Reeled  and  swooned  like  a  foolish  man 
Drunken  with  wine." 

From  this  delicious  frenzy  we  were  awakened  on  the  following 
morning  by  orders  to  mar.ch  for  Jackson,  Mississippi.  This 
proved  a  brief  campaign,  in  alternating  rain  and  scorching  heat, 
with  occasional  rough  encounters  with  the  enemy,  resulting  in  the 
evacuation  of  the  place  on  the  i6th,  they  having,  themselves,  ap 
plied  the  torch  that  destroyed  much  of  the  city. 

A  return  march  brought  us  to  Vicksburg  on  the  23d,  and  on 
the  3oth  many  of  "  the  boys,"  with  light  hearts,  started  home  on 
furlough.  Those  that  were  not  thus  fortunate  went  into  camp  im 
mediately  below  the  city,  en  the  bank  of  the  river.  The  duties 
were  not  severe,  and  all  in  preparation  ior  further  service.  The 
only  incident  worthy  of  note  was  the  explosion  of  the  steamer 
City  of  Madison.  This  vessel  was  loaded  with  ammunition,  the 
value  of  which  was  over  one  million  dollars,  designed  for  cam 
paigning  on  the  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  A  detail  from 
the  96th  was  engaged  in  loading  the  steamer  with  wood,  and  had 
just  been  relieved;  a  part  of  them  had  laid  down  on  the  deck  to 
rest  and  sleep,  when,  by  some  mishap,  probably  the  dropping  of  a 
box  of  fixed  ammunition,  a  combined  earthquake  and  volcano 
sent  a  thrill  of  terror  far  and  wide.  The  boat,  with  all  her  valu 
able  treasure,  was.  for  an  instant,  a  lurid  blaze,  -enshrouded  in 
black,  with  every  form  of  fragment  flying  in  the  air.  Of  all  on 
board,  consisting  of  the  detail  referred  to,  as  well  as  quite  a  num 
ber  from  other  regiments,  not  one  escaped.  Several  bodies  were 
found  in  an  adjacent  street,  having  been  carried  there  over  a  block 
of  lofty  building. 

Regrets  for  lost  comrades,  however  deep  and  earnest,  fades 
away  in  camp  as  in  battle.  It  is  not  the  business  of  the  soldier  to 
corrode  his  soul  with  regrets.  Giving  an  occasional  thought  to 
those  who,  at  home  on  furlough,  were  whiling  the  hours  away  with 
loved  and  loving  ones,  we  sought  to  make  our  stay  in  camp  as 


36  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

nearly  as  possible  an  imitation  of  theirs,  and  thus  glided  by  unno 
ticed  the  anniversary  of  our  first  year  of  service. 

In  connection  with  these  events,  the  following  order  will  inter 
est  the  soldiers  of  the  p6th,  as  well  as  all  others  belonging  to  the 
complimented  command : 

HEADQUARTERS  IST  BRIGADE,  IOTH  DIVISION,  J 

T3TH  ARMY  CORPS,      /• 

CAMP  NEAR  VJCKSBURG,  July  5,  1863.  ) 

TO    THE    OFFICERS    AND    MEN    1ST    BRIGADE: 

SOLDIERS  :  This  campaign  which  culminated  so  gloriously  yes 
terday,  thus  adding  fresh  interest  to  that  memorable  day,  has 
proven  you  to  be  in  every  sense  worthy  of  the  name  I  address  you 
by:  SOLDIERS! 

You  have  endured  privations  and  fatigue,  and  braved  the  dan  - 
gers  of  the  battle-field,  with  a  cheerfulness,  energy  and  gallantry 
which  has  made  you  conspicuous,  even  in  this  army;  have  won  the 
admiration  and  confidence  of  all  who  have  witnessed  your  career, 
and  endeared  you  to  your  commanding  officer. 

In  taking  temporary  leave  of  you,  in  perfect  confidence  you  will 
maintain  your  past  reputation,  and  with  high  hopes  for  the  future 
mingle  sincere  congratulations  for  the  past. 

S.  G.  BURBRIDGE, 
Brig.  Gen  I  Commanding  ist  Brig.,  iot/1  Div  ,  i$th  Army  Corps. 


SECOND   YEAR. 


CHAPTER  V. 

CARRION    CROW    BAYOU. 

Eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-three  was  dark  with  battle-smoke 
and  dread  uncertainty.  The  attention  of  the  nation  was  riveted  on 
the  condition  of  things  along  the  lines.  There  every  community, 
almost  every  family,  had  its  representative.  Vast  multitudes  had 
gone  to  the  front,  where  the  ranks  were  frightfully  thinned  by  toil, 
exposure,  disease  and  battle.  Comfort  or  consolation  could  be 
found  only  in  the  fact  that  others  were  ready  to  fill  the  vacant 
places,  and  that  those  remaining  were  iron-hearted  men,  who 
had  learned  to  dare  and  endure. 

A  campaign  was  before  us.  On  August  23d  we  embarked  on 
the  "  Laura  Hill,"  and  steamed  for  New-Orleans,  landing 
at  Carrollton,  a  suburb  of  the  Crescent  City,  on  the  25th. 
Here  we  loitered  for  further  preparation.  Our  situation  and  sur 
roundings  were  most  delightful.  In  the  balmy  air,  flowers 
in  profusion  smiled  at  bayonets  and  cannon. 

The  29th  was  made  notable  by  a  grand  review  of  the  i3th 
Corps  by  Generals  Grant  and  Banks,  the  Corps  having  been 
placed  under  the  command  of  the  latter  officer.  All  hearts  were 
light,  and  the  day  bright  and  cheerful.  A  beautiful  plain,  bear 
ing  the  fanciful  name  of  "Champ  de Mars"  was  selected  as  the 
scene  of  the  military  display.  Reviews  are  usually  regarded  by 
soldiers  with  indifference,  if  not  aversion,  but  this  occasion  was 
much  enjoyed.  It  seemed  to  be  mutually  felt  that  it  was  no  dis- 
play  of  holiday  soldiers,  but  of  men  who  had  faced  the  enemy, 
and  who  pointed  to  their  banners,  soiled  in  weary  marches  and 
rent  in  battle,  as  evidence  that  where  the  sternest  duty  called  they 
had  not  faltered. 


38  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY -SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

The  delicious  languor  of  our  stay  was  broken  on  the  25th  of 
September.  In  company  with  the  i6th  Indiana  Mounted  In 
fantry,  we  embarked  on  the  steamer  "  Empress,"  to  go  in  search 
of  a  squad  of  guerillas,  who  were  reported  to  be  near  Donaldson- 
ville.  Their  depredations  had  become  quite  annoying.  They 
had  attacked  telegraph  stations,  captured  operators,  cut  wires,  and 
had  at  length  captured  and  plundered  a  steamboat.  Landing  at 
Manning's  Plantation,  we  began  a  night  march  of  no  ordinary 
character.  The  road  was  good,  but  narrow,  and  cut  through  what 
seemed  an  unending  cane-brake.  The  canes,  twelve  to  fifteen 
feet  high  and  thick  set,  made  a  complete  cover  for  such  a  lurking 
foe  as  we  were  then  in  search  of.  Every  moment  we  expected  a 
blaze  of  musket-flashes,  and  to  receive  a  tornado  of  bullets  from 
muzzles  not  ten  feet  away.  With  "  ready-arms  "  we  marched  on  un 
disturbed  for  a  distance  of  twelve  miles,  and  were  really  surprised 
when,  in  safety,  we  encamped  near  New  River,  on  the  plantation 
of  an  old  Frenchman,  observing  the  strictest  care  not  to  injure, 
much  less  destroy,  anything.  Fortunately  for  us,  some  one  ascer 
tained  that,  in  an  out-building,  large  quantities  of  mess  pork,  cloth 
ing,  etc.,  were  stored,  which,  on  examination,  proved  to  belong  to 
the  United  States  Government.  In  an  instant  all  was  clear.  This 
smooth-tongued  citizen,  whose  property  we  were  guarding,  had 
taken  an  interest  in  the  robbing  of  the  boat,  and  we  instantly  pro 
ceeded  to  demonstrate  to  his  understanding  the  nature  of  the 
wrong  he  had  committed,  by  appropriating  everything  that  a 
soldier  could  use.  The  building  in  which  the  stolen  goods  were 
stored  was  burned  to  the  ground.  When  we  left,  he  probably 
found  his  plantation  interesting — as  a  desert. 

The  mounted  infantry  having  scoured  the  country  far  and  wide, 
and  finding  nothing,  we  started  to  return  to  our  boat,  at  9  o'clock 
on  the  26th,  but  losing  our  way,  a  citizen  was  made  to  do  service 
by  piloting  us  to  the  river  at  the  nearest  point,  which  proved  to 
be,  by  the  tortuous  stream,  about  seventeen  miles  above  Donald- 
sonville.  Halting  and  waiting  for  a  messenger  to  make  his 
way  across  the  bend  to  request  the  boat  to  come  to  this  place,  we 
in  due  time  embarked  and  run  down  to  Manning's  plantation, 
where  we  waited  until  the  following  morning  for  some  of  our 


SERVICES   OF   THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O,  V.  I.  39 

scouts  to  return.     Arriving  at  our  camp  atCarrollton  on  the  28th, 
we  fared  sumptuously  through  all  the  lovely  September  days. 

Ease  and  luxury,  like  toil  and  privation,  at  last  become  irk 
some.  With  delight  we  left  camp  on  the  2d,  arriving,  by  rail,  on 
the  4th,  at  Brashear  City,  on  beautiful  Berwick  Bay,  from  which 
point  we  marched  on  the  yth,  reaching  Vermillion  on  the  loth. 
At  this  point  we  fought  a  bloodless  battle.  By  well-directed  bal 
lets  we  aided  in  the  defeat  of  Valandigham,  the  leader  of  our  en 
emies  at  home,  just  as  we  were  determined  to  do  to  our  enemies 
in  front  by  bullets 

On  the  1 5th  we  heard  the  artillery  of  the  rebels,  and  prepared 
to  march  immediately  to  the  support  of  the  Nineteenth  Corps, 
encamped  on  Carrion  Crow  Bayou.  The  artillery  duel  which 
followed  resulted  in  the  repulse  of  the  enemy.  The  ist  Brig 
ade  of  the  Thirteenth  Army  Corps  now  came  up,  passing  the 
Nineteenth  in  camp,  and  advanced  to  Bayou  Borbeau,  where 
it  halted  soon  after.  On  the  2ist  we  were  again  on  the  march, 
and,  meeting  the  enemy,  were  surprised  that,  after  the  loss  of 
a  few  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners,  they  should  fall  back  from 
so  strong  a  position  and  permit  us  to  pass,  without  further 
trouble,  to  Barnes'  Landing.  Halting  here  for  a  few  days,  we 
exercised  our  enterprise  and  forethought  by  gathering  together  a 
vast  supply  of  sugar,  molasses  and  corn,  hoping  that  we  might 
have  an  opportunity  to  use  it.  The  final  result  was,  that  the 
Corps  had  a  brief  but  luxurious  feasting,  closing  with  a  magnifi 
cent  bonfire,  as  we  marched  away,  most  opportunely,  on  Novem 
ber  i st.  We  afterwards  learned  that  a  large  rebel  force  were 
ready  to  take  us  under  their  tender  care  on  the  following  day.  A 
march  of  twelve  miles  brought  us  to  our  camp  at  Bayou  Borbeau, 
where  the  enemy,  seeming  to  infest  every  point,  gave  us  a  skirm 
ish  on  the  2d  This  marching  and  skirmishing  we  well  knew  to 
be  only  the  prelude  to  a  battle,  which  was  probably  precipitated 
by  the  information  given  by  six  men  of  the  2d  Louisiana  Cavalry, 
who  shamelessly  deserted  their  picket  post  in  the  night  and  went 
over  to  the  enemy.  Whether  it  was  owing  to  fate  or  folly,  our  posi 
tion  here  was  very  extraordinary.  On  the  shore  .of  Carrion  Crow 
Bayou  lay  the  Thirteenth  Corps,  in  command  of  Gen.  Washburn. 


40  SERVICES    OF    THE   NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

A  level  prairie  spread  out  before  this  camp,  that,  at  the  distance 
of  four  miles  in  the  immediate  front,  was  crossed  by  a  very  deep 
and  miry  ravine,  the  banks  of  which  were  skirted  by  timber.  To 
the  right,  a  dense  and  extensive  forest  formed  the  prairie  bound 
ary,  from  which  this  long,  narrow,  wooded  ravine  extended  in 
front  to  the  left.  Marching  straight  across  this  prairie,  beyond 
the  deep  ravine  and  its  timbered  borders,  we  halted  on  the  edge 
of  a  prairie  that  stretched  far  and  wide  before  us.  From  this  po 
sition  the  dense  forest  on  the  right  receded  and  swept  around  the 
prairie  to  the  front  at  a  distance  of  about  four  miles.  At  this 
point  Gen.  Burbridge  encamped  his  command,  consisting  of  1,500 
infantry,  with  the  iyth  Ohio  Battery,  and  one  company  of  the  6th 
Missouri  Cavalry.  Day  after  day  passed  by,  large  bodies  of  the 
enemy  continually  hovering  around  his  front  and  infesting  the  for 
est  on  his  right.  So  complete  was  his  isolation,  that  the  enemy 
were  permitted  to  wander  across  the  prairie  in  the  rear  and  in 
front  of  Washburn's  camp,  almost  at  will.  A  good  wagon  road, 
extending  from  somewhere  in  the  west,  passed  through  this  dense 
forest  and  entered  the  prairie  about  four  miles  to  the  right  of  this 
isolated  camp.  For  some  distance,  skirting  the  timber,  this  road 
again  cut  into  the  forest  and  across  the  base  of  the  ravine  alluded 
to,  toward  the  village  of  Grand  Coteau,  that  lay  to  the  right  of  the 
camp  of  the  corps  on  the  bayou.  This  would  afford  an  excellent 
means  of  approach  for  infantry  from  that  direction,  and  for  which 
the  almost  omnipresent  rebel  cavalrymen  seemed  waiting. 

The  single  company  of  the  6th  Missouri  cavalry,  commanded 
by  Capt.  Breese,  were  necessarily  on  almost  continuous  duty  at 
the  outposts.  This  service  was  very  perilous,  especially  during, 
the  night,  as  in  many  places  the  enemy  could,  under  cover  of  tall 
grass,  obtain  a  position  in  which  their  aim  at  the  unprotected 
cavalrymen  would  be  almost  certain. 

In  the  distance,  all  day  they  sat,  like  equestrian  statues, 
until  darkness  shut  them  from  our  view;  but  the  morning  light 
would  show  here  and  there  a  horse  grazing  with  an  empty  saddle. 
Braver  and  truer  men  never  drew  sabre  or  sat  in  saddle. 

As  a  mass,  the  volunteer  soldiers  of  the  north  were  both  observ 
ing  and  thinking  men.  It  was  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  the 


SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  41 

privates  to  have  a  very  clear  understanding  of  a  movement,  all 
direct  information  in  regard  to  which  had  been  kept  profoundly 
secret.  The  necessary  preparations,  together  with  their  posi 
tions  in  relation  to  the  enemy,  afforded  data  from  which 
they  made  deductions  that  often  were  wonderfully  accu 
rate.  Noting  facts  that  could  not  be  concealed,  it  was  apparent  to 
the  private  soldiers  of  this  little  command  that  their  position  was 
cne  of  great  exposure  and  danger.  They  clearly  understood  that 
the  enemy  could  swoop  down  upon  and  destroy  them  before  rein 
forcements  could  possibly  arrive.  They  saw  that  they  had  no 
cover,  either  in  front,  flank  or  rear,  while  the  enemy  had  an  open 
field  in  which  to  maneuver  and  attack  them. 

General  Burbridge  felt,  with  deep  concern  and  pain,  the  posi 
tion  occupied  by  him  and  his  little  command.  He  read  aright  all 
the  conditions  of  the  immediate  surroundings,  and.  in  addition, 
knew  that  a  large  force  was  actually  advancing  from  the  west,  on 
the  road  through  the  forest,  and  that  their  first  effort  would  be  to 
crush  his  isolated  command.  He  had  repeatedly  asked  Gen. 
Washburn  for  reinforcements,  setting  forth  the  facts  as  he  had 
gathered  them,  and  received  at  last,  in  reply,  a  refusal,  conclud 
ing  with  a  laconic  sarcasm,  to  the  effect  that  apprehensions  of 
danger  arose  from  nothing  but  "a  scare."  No  alternative  was 
left  but  to  calmly  await,  the  onset  and  "  die  like  Romans." 

At  2  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  3d,  Col.  Brown,  of  the  96th, 
received  a  request  from  Gen.  Burbridge  to  call  immediately  at  his 
headquarters.  The  General,  at  that  late  hour,  was  busily  engaged 
in  writing.  This  interview  was  private  and  confidential,  in  which 
he  notified  the  Colonel  that  there  was  not  the  least  doubt  but  that 
early  in  the  day  the  command  would  be  attacked  by  overwhelm 
ing  numcers.  He  explained  fully  all  the  details,  and  notified  him 
as  to  what  he  should  expect  of  his  Regiment.  Very  early  in  the 
morning  a  council  was  held,  in  which  all  the  commanding  officers 
of  regiments  were  present.  The  General  explained  to  them  the  ex 
pected  attack,  and  directed  them  to  adopt  every  precaution  in  their 
separate  commands  to  secure  their  entire  strength  and  efficiency 
in  the  coming  struggle.  Filled  with  a  sense  of  their  responsibility, 
and  pondering  on  the  probable  events  that  the  day  would  bring 
4 


42  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

forth,  these  officers  returned  to  their  posts  of  duty.  Col.  Brown 
immediately  proceeded  in  person  to  give  certain  orders  to  his 
officers.  In  doing  so,  he  chanced  to  observe  a  sweet-faced  young 
boy,  whose  manliness  of  bearing,  and  gentle,  pure,  and  Christian 
character,  had  not  only  been  observed,  but  had  endeared  him  to 
all.  He  was  sitting  by  his  tent,  earnestly  engaged  in  reading  his 
Bible.  To  the  salutation,  "  are  you  ready  ?"  Charley  Stanfield 
replied,  calmly,  with  his  open  book  before  him :  "  Yes,  Colonel,  I 
am  always  ready !  "  The  sun  had  that  day  scarcely  passed  "  high 
noon,"  when  a  rebel  bullet  sent  his  pure  soul  to  God. 

Then  followed  quickly  the  sounds  of  busy  preparation.  Every 
where  was  heard  the  click,  click,  of  the  rising  hammer,  and 
then  the  sharp  explosion  of  the  cap,  by  which  it  was  known  that 
the  tube  was  open ;  and  the  clear  ring  of  the  rammer,  as  it  was 
dropped  into  the  barrel,  satisfied  its  owner  that  he  could  rely 
upon  his  musket  to  do  faithful  execution  in  the  moment  of  need. 
Cartridge  boxes  were  carefully  packed  with  40  rounds,  and  can 
teens  filled  with  water,  that  might  quench  the  thirst  of  a  dying 
comrade. 

It  was  scarcely  10  o'clock,  when  the  sharp  picket-firing  in  the 
distance  confirmed  our  expectations;  and  at  12,  our  retreating 
cavalry  gave  notice  that  "  the  Philistines  were  upon  us."  The 
thrilling  long-roll  called  every  man  to  arms.  In  calm,  calcu 
lating  haste,  each  donned  his  battle  trappings,  and  with  clock 
work  precision  fell  into  line. 

The  officer  who  happened  to  be  engaged  in  paying  off  the  23d 
Wisconsin,  found  his  labor  suddenly  checked  as  the  men  rushed 
for  their  guns.  Bundling  his  greenbacks  promiscuously  into  his 
iron  box,  he  tumbled  it  into  a  ready  ambulance,  that,  at  breakneck 
speed,  dashed  into  the  road  and  across  the  bayou  bridge  for  the 
rear,  a  squad  of  greedy  rebel  cavalry  at  his  very  heels. 

Marching  directly  on  the  road  that  turned  to  the  left,  close  to 
the  right  of  our  camp,  the  rebel  infantry  advanced  in  force,  while 
clouds  of  cavalry  emerged  from  the  woods  and  deployed  on  the 
flanks  of  their  infantry,  scattering  like  wild  Comanches,  and  en 
veloping  our  camp. 
The  battle-ground  is  in  outline  again  before  us.  Let  us  follow  the 


SERVICES   OF   THE   NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  43 

colors  in  the  fray,  describing  the  tragic  events  as  then  we  saw  them. 
Time  is  as  precious  as  every  hope  the  heart  holds  dear,  and  not 
an  instant  is  lest  in  preparation.  Our  line  of  battle  faces  the 
woods  on  the  right,  close  to  and  at  right  angles  with  our  camp. 
The  67th  Indiana,  in  open  prairie  on  the  left,  supports  two  guns 
of  the  i yth  Ohio  Battery.  The  96111  Ohio  and  6oth  Indiana,  with 
the  remaining  guns,  form  the  centre.  The  23d  Wisconsin,  a  lit 
tle  delayed  in  reaching  their  position,  form  the  right  of  our  line. 
This  disposition  of  our  little  command  is  scarcely  completed, 
when  we  are  face  to  face  with  more  than  8,000  men,  and  instantly 
begins 

THE  BATTLE  OF  GRAND  COTEAU. 

A  part  of  the  Goth  Indiana  deploy  as  skirmishers,  and  promptly 
advance  into  the  infested  woods.  Gallantry  is  unavailing  against 
the  frightful  odds,  and  the  whole  regiment  advance  to  their  sup 
port.  They  are  few  in  numbers,  and  against  them  is  hurled 
massed  lines  of  battle.  The  quick  crack  of  the  skirmish  rifle  is 
followed  by  the  sharp,  rattling  volley.  Undismayed  by  terrible 
loss,  they  fall  steadily  back,  leaving  not  an  inch  of  ground  uncon- 
tested. 

Vindictive  fight  rages  along  the  entire  front.  "  Forward,  96th 
Ohio,"  sends  them  to  meet  the  solid  lines  of  gray,  and  full  in  each 
others  faces  the  deadly  volleys  are  exchanged.  It  is  a  host  against 
which  a  handful  of  stout-hearted  men  are  battling,  and  which  it 
is  impossible  for  them  to  withstand.  Defiantly,  both  the  96th  and 
6oth  fall  back,  fighting  just  as  bravely  as  if  there  was  a  hope  of 
victory. 

A  cloud  of  cavalry  are  swooping  down  on  the  67th  and  the  tv;o 
pieces  of  artillery  on  the  prairie,  to  our  left.  The  regiment  quickly 
forms  a  hollow  square  to  receive  the  cavalry.  In  doing  so,  a.  gap 
is  left  in  our  line,  and  they  are  entirely  detached  from  support. 
A  command  to  reform  and  move  to  the  right,  to  fill  the 
gap,  is  instantly  sent  by  Gen.  Burbridge.  In  attempting  to  exe 
cute  this  maneuver  under  fire,  they  become  confused,  and  from 
confusion  are  quickly  panic-stricken.  The  fierce  cavalry  sweep 
like  a  whirlwind  among  them  with  gleaming  sabres.  The  swift 


44  SERVICES    OF    THE   NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

riders  enfold  them,  and,  almost  without  resistance,  march  them 
away  captive  before  our  eyes. 

The  23d  Wisconsin,  on  our  extreme  right,  are  enveloped  in 
smoke,  but  here,  as  everywhere,  maintain  their  well-deserved  fame. 
It  is  only  by  sheer  weight  of  numbers  that  they  are  forced  slowly 
back.  Unfalteringly  they  keep  their  faces  to  the  front.  Their 
intrepid  Colonel  stands  staunch  and  firm  in  the  thickest  of  the 
fight,  and,  wounded,  falls  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

Twice  have  the  96th  been  repulsed,  and,  rallying,  returned  to 
the  hopeless  charge.  The  three  regiments  still  maintain  an  irreg 
ular  line.  The  rebels  are  plainly  enveloping  our  flanks.  Tke 
23d  Wisconsin  are  almost  muzzle  to  muzzle  with  the  en 
emy,  who,  on  their  right,  overlap  them,  and  pour  in  a  deadly 
enfilading  fire.  Nothing  can  save  them,  or  even  prolong  the 
contest,  but  to  fall  quickly  back  and  so  form  their  line,  at  an 
angle,  as  to  face  the  foe  on  both  their  front  and  right.  The 
6oth  Indiana  maintain  a  position  on  the  right  of  the  p6th,  but  their 
left  is  driven  far  back,  and  a  fatal  gap  thus  formed  between  the 
regiments.  All  are  under  a  most  galling  fire,  and  writhe  as  if  in  a 
final  death  struggle.  The  p6th  make  an  attempt  to  close  the  gap, 
and  refuse  their  right  in  the  effort  to  effect  a  junction  with  the  left 
of  the  6oth,  each  being  now  almost  in  a  semi-circle.  It  is  a  fruitless 
effort.  The  gallant  6oth  cannot  for  another  moment  endure  the 
storm  of  balls  that  beats  upon  them ;  they  break,  and  a  portion 
in  falling  back  rush  through  the  right  of  our  line. 

While  this  furious  struggle — 'mid  shrieks  and  shouts — is  raging 
before  us,  our  rear  presents  a  most  singular  sight.  At  the  sum 
mons  of  the  long-roll,  the  stores  of  the  brigade  had  been  promptly 
loaded,  and  started  pell-mell  for  the  rear.  In  mad  haste  some 
dashed  into  the  deep  ravine,  to  find  their  wagons  instantly  mired. 
Others,  with  more  coolness  took  their  places,  rapidly  flew  over  the 
bridge,  and,  with  lavish  whip  and  spur,  escaped.  Haste  was 
never  more  demanded,  as  both  the  camp  they  left  and  the  woods 
through  which  they  must  pass,  are  already  full  of  roving  rebel 
cavalrymen,  who,  unexpectedly  and  for  some  strange  reason,  made 
little  effort  to  prevent  the  escape  of  their  legitimate  prize  and 
booty.  They  must  be  raw  recruits,  and  without  discipline  or  am- 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  45 

bition.  A  Federal  officer  rode  through  the  woods  unmolested, 
although  they  were  thick  around  him.  He  noticed  a  stolid  Ger 
man  artilleryman,  stoically  marching  to  the  rear,  carrying  his 
swab-stick  on  his  shoulder.  A  cavalryman  suddenly  rode  up  be 
side  him,  brandishing  a  revolver,  and  shouted :  "  Halt !  halt !  you 
Yankee  vagabond."  The  insulted  and  indignant  gunner  turned 
quickly  on  his  heel,  at  the  same  instant  replying,  "  You  go  to  hell," 
and  furiously  swinging  his  swab-stick,  with  it  smashed  the  head  of 
his  would-be  captor  into  a  jelly.  Instantly  "  shouldering  arms," 
he  marched  on.  unconcerned  as  before,  for  Carrion  Crow  Bayou. 
Along  the  line,  hours  of  common  life  are  crowded  into  moments, 
as,  with  varied  features  of  death  and  wounds,  capture  and  escape, 
regiments  are  being  absolutely  crushed. 

The  artillery  has  been,  by  dint  of  both  valor  and  fortune,  re 
moved  from  the  field —the  piece  last  passing  through  the  woods 
being  temporarily  captured  by  a  half  dozen  or  more  resolute  rebel 
cavalrymen  shooting  down  the  artillery  horses. 

There  is  nowhere  a  trace  of  terror.  Men  fall  in  promiscuously, 
maintaining  the  semblance  of  a  line,  and  move  back,  delivering 
their  fire,  defiantly  to  the  last.  The  pall  of  battle-smoke  settles 
thickly  around,  as  if  to  hide  our  dead  and  our  chagrin  at  yielding 
even  to  overpowering  numbers.  Vainly  do  we  face  the  rebel  sea 
that  beats  against  us,  wave  on  wave,  mid  death-shots,  crash  and 
thunder.  We  know  we  are  doomed,  but  only  press  closer  and 
closer  together.  Lieut. -Col.  Brown  inspires  by  both  word  and 
deed  the  men  who  kept  their  eyes  on  him  as  their  star  of  hope, 
moving  only  as  he  directs,  and  contesting  every  inch  of  ground. 
The  ghastliness  of  the  battle-slaughter  every  moment  thickens. 
Heroic  desparation  sustains  us  in  the  endeavor  to  maintain  our 
defense  until  help  from  some  unlooked-for  source  may  by  chance 
arrive — for  none  is  really  expected.  The  gallant  Burbridge  rides 
up  and  down  the  tattered  fragments  of  his  brigade,  directing  and 
encouraging  men  who  every  instant  prove  themselves  hero- 
hearted,  ready  to  do  all  that  may  be  done  by  mortals.  But  no  aid 
comes,  and  stumbling  to  certain  death  over  comrades  "dead  and 
dying,  even  the  most  dauntless  spirit  must  falter.  The  moment  is 


40  SERVICES   OF   THE   NINETY-SIXTH   O.  V.  I. 

more  than  sublime,  as  each,  without  a  murmur  of  the  lip,  asks  his 
own  soul,  in  agony,  can  we  stay  ?  must  we  go  ? 

Impulses  are  like  avalanches,  and,  as  if  to  spur  souls  that  have 
never  faltered,  the  heroic  Burbridge  seizes  the  battle-flag  of  a 
regiment,  and,  waving  it  above  him  in  this  yawning  battle-hell,  in 
the  face  of  defeat  and  death,  in  full  defiant  tones  begins  himself  to 
sing  that  grand  old  Battle  Hymn : 

"  Rally  round  the  flag,  boys, 
Rally  once  again  /' 

and  amid  the  crash,  roar  and  minie-bullet  "  thud ! "   a  hundred 

voices  mingle  in  the  chorus : 

"  Rally  once  again, 

Shouting  the  battle-cry  of  freedom" 

Now  comes  the  appalling  shout  of  the  rebel  horde,  followed  by 
a  bullet-storm  and  an  advancing  line  of  gray  thickly  fringed  with 
glittering  steel.  The  p6th  gather  closer  around  their  commander, 
and  at  his  word  deliver  their  fire.  By  the  retiring  volley  they  are 
shivered  to  pieces  as  by  a  thunderbolt.  They  are  completely 
routed,  but  undaunted,  they,  as  if  by  instinct,  gather  in  squads  and 
fall  back,  firing  wherever  a  foe  presents ;  for  everywhere  they  turn 
— to  right,  to  left,  or  rear — roving  rebel  cavalrymen  are  using 
pistol  and  sabre. 

Sergt.  Fobes,  of  Co.  B.,  being  wounded,  had  early  in  the  engage 
ment  requested  color-Sergeant  Isaac  Ivins,  as  he  could  no  longer 
use  his  gun,  to  exchange  with  him,  and,  with  one  mangled  hand, 
he  bore  the  banner  safely  through  the  desperate  fray,  while  the 
Sergeant  as  bravely  used  his  gun. 

Falling  back  toward  the  edge  of  the  wood  near  the  camp,  Col. 
Brown  notices  a  boy  in  the  act  of  raising  his  gun  to  fire,  when  a 
bullet  whistles  through  his  breast.  Running  to  him  and  raising  his 
head,  he  sees  his  lips  move,  and  putting  close  his  ear,  hears  the 
whispered  word,  "mother" — and  Charley  Stanfield  is  dead. 
Close  before  him  rides  three  rebel  cavalrymen,  one  of  whom  has 
shot  the  boy.  The  Colonel  instantly  picks  up  the  gun  the  boy 
had  dropped  with  the  hammer  already  raised,  fires,  and  the  mid 
dle  one  of  the  three  brave  Texan  Rangers  rolls  from  his  saddle. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O,   V.  I.  47 

The  bearer  of  the  colors  has  planted  the  staff  in  the  ground, 
that  he  may  use  a  musket,  when  he  is  whirled  away,  and,  in  the 
meele,  the  flag  is  pushed  over.  The  colors  on  the  ground, 
shocks  the  soldierly  pride  of  Sanderson,  Orderly  of  Col.  Brown, 
and  calling  the  Colonel's  attention  to  it,  asks  if  he  shall  get  it, 
receiving  for  a  reply  :  "  It  is  a  terrible  place  to  go,  but  bring  the 
colors  if  you  can."  Gallantly  he  rushes  among  the  reeling,  sway 
ing  combatants,  and  bears  it  in  safety  away  through  the  camp  to 
the  rear. 

Not  an  organized  command  remains,  and  Col.  Brown  mounts 
his  horse ;  soldiers  in  squads  around  him  deliver  their  desultory 
fire  into  the  teeth  of  the  troop  of  cavalry  that  are  close  down  upon 
them.  The  Colonel  says:  "Brave  boys,  to  stay  is  death;  fall 
back,  as  best  you  can,  to  the  other  side  of  the  woods :  we  will 
rally  there;"  and  empties  his  revolver  into  the  advancing  rebel 
cavalry.  The  return  fire  luckily  inflicts  a  slight  wound  on  his 
horse.  In  mad  frenzy  the  animal  dashes  away,  far  to  our  left  and 
rear,  and  with  one  desperate  leap  clears  the  ravine.  The  rebel 
horsemen  are  sufficient  in  number  to  capture  every  man,  but  are 
strangely  inefficient.  In  squads  we  battle  our  way  through  them, 
as  with  a  mob,  to  the  rear  of  the  wood.  The  voice  of  Col.  Brown, 
whose  horse  had  saved  him  by  running  away  from  the  sabre  points 
of  the  enemy,  is  heard,  and  at  his  word  the  brave  men  halt  in 
the  teeth  of  the  exultant  foe.  No  sign  of  the  hoped-for  aid  is  vis 
ible,  and  yet  with  wonderful  eagerness  they  fall  into  line.  It  is 
stubborn  rashness,  for  masses  of  rebel  infantry  are  surging  along 
our  front,  and  a  cloud  of  cavalry  deploying  from  right  to  left  across 
our  rear.  They  are  no  mounted  mob,  but  proud  knights  of  the 
sabre,  whose  lines  are  swiftly  enfolding  us.  They  ride  rapidly  or? 
when,  as  if  by  magic,  there  rises  from  the  thick  grass  a  line  of 
men,  till  this  moment  unseen,  who,  with  level  muskets,  pour  into 
their  ranks  a  volley  that  sends  them  reeling  back  with  many  an 
empty  saddle.  To  our  delight  and  surprise,  it  is  the  46th  Indiana, 
whose  Colonel,  hearing  the  roar  of  battle,  instantly  formed  his 
command,  and  waiting  for  no  orders,  with  the  instincts  of  a  true 
soldier,  had  marched  at  double  quick,  and,  halting  for  a  moment 
to  take  breath,  found  this  opportunity  to  save  us  from  utter  anni- 


48  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

hilation.  Whatever  emotion  sweeps  our  heartstrings,  there  is  none 
of  fear.  Our  very  blood  is  frozen  with  determination  as  we  join 
our  brave  comrades  and  charge  upon  the  victorious  line  of  lead 
and  steel  and  gray.  They  feel  our  bullets  and  our  steel  at  the 
instant  the  charging  cheer  breaks  from  our  lips,  and,  after  a  short, 
sharp  struggle,  at  our  very  bayonet  points,  they  flee  through  our 
camp  so  swiftly  that  they  find  neither  time  nor  leisure  to  disturb 
scarcely  anything.  For  two  long  miles  we  pursue  them  in  their 
flight,  and  at  every  step  "  strange  horror  seizes  them,  and  pangs 
unfelt  before."  Both  humiliated  by  defeat  and  exultant  by  vic 
tory,  we  return  to  our  camp,  twice  swept  by  the  storm  of  battle. 
All  are  there,  save  many  of  our  comrades — the  bravest  and  the 
best — who,  wounded  or  dead,  lie  all  around  us  in  ghastly  pools  of 
blood.  The  wounded  are  sent  to  the  rear  for  medical  attention, 
and  the  dead — a  fearful  number — are  gathered  together  for  burial. 
Those  of  the  96th  we  place  in  a  row  in  our  camp,  and,  with  hearts 
bowed  down  in  sorrow,  the  living  gaze  upon  their  loved  comrades 

"  With  the  red  rents  in  their  bosoms, 
And  their  young  eyes  dosed  on  life" 

Boon  companions  in  camp,  on  the  march,  and  in  the  battle,  are 
here — living  and  dead  !  What  woader,  then,  that  eyes  are  weep 
ing  when  hearts  are  breaking.  In  the  glimmering  twilight  we 
take  a  last  look  at  the  little  yellow  mounds  above  them,  as  we 
march  away  for  Carrion  Crow  Bayou.  On  that  bloody  field  were 
cemented  friendships  that  have  never  changed,  and  none  more 
firmly  than  those  of  the  p6th  Ohio  for  the  23d  Wisconsin  and  6oth 
Indiana  volunteers,  who  there,  as  on  many  other  fields,  stood  with 
them  shoulder  to  shoulder,  appalled  by  no  danger  and  shrinking 
from  no  sacrifice. 

Being  absent  on  a  foraging  expedition,  the  83d  Ohio  took  no 
part  in  this  action,  a  circumstance  for  which  regrets  were  mutual, 
as  their  aid  was  needed ;  and  had  they  been  present,  the  enemy 
would  have  heard  their  music. 

Our  wounded  being  exchanged  on  the  4th,  we  moved  for  New 
Iberia,  arriving  on  the  8th,  when  Col.  Vance,  after  an  absence  of 
several  months,  was  joyfully  greeted  by  the  regiment.  Here  we 


BATTLE-FIELD  OF  GRAND  COTEAU,  LA. 


1.  Koad  to  Grand  Coteau.      6.  2nd  Union  Line.  12.  Union  Camp  "Washburn. 

2.  Rebel  line  of  Infantry.      7.  67th  Ind., hollow  square  13.  Camp  46th  Ind. 

3.  60th  Ind.  Vols.  8.  Artillery.  14.  Union  Camp. 

4.  96th  O.  V.  I.  9.  Rebel  Cavalry.  15.  Rebel  Cavalry. 

5.  23d  Wisconsin.  10.  Union  Camp.  16.  Military  Roads. 

11.  46th  Ind.  in  line. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  49 

fortified  our  position,  forcing  citizens  to  the  uncongenial  task  of  aid 
ing  us  in  that  labor — on  the  principle  that  if  they  were  loyal,  they 
could  do  no  less,  and  if  they  were  rebels,  they  should  be  required  to 
expiate  their  sins.  In  this  realm  of  loveliness  we  loitered,  without 
incident  worthy  of  note,  until  the  yth  of  December,  when  we  pro 
ceeded  through  Franklin  to  Berwick,  thence  crossing  the  bay  to 
Brashear  City,  and  then  by  cars  to  Algiers,  Louisiana,  at  which 
point  the  Division  embarked  for  a  brief  campaign  in  Texas. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

TEXAS. 

The  only  perceptible  object  in  this  movement  was  to  occupy 
the  attention  of  the  enemy,  and  divert  them  from  another 
enterprise  that  is,  for  many  reasons,  worthy  a  conspicuous 
place  in  history.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  purpose,  after 
three  days  sail  we  arrived  on  Matagorda  Peninsula,  which  is 
formed  of  sand  washed  up  from  the  Bay  and  Gulf-— a  mere  tongue 
of  terra  fir  ma,  about  one  mile  wide  and  fifteen  miles  long,  pro 
jecting  into  the  waters,  and  covered  with  everglades  of  various 
shrubs  and  prickly  cactus,  the  latter  growing  to  an  enormous  size. 
The  rippling  waters  sighing  along  either  shore,  gave  the  loca 
tion  a  kind  of  romantic  character,  which  was  counterbalanced  by 
frequent  ice-cold  winds,  that  lashed  the  same  shores  with  angry 
surges,  and  sent  us  to  cover,  pining  for  scenes  less  romantic  and 
more  agreeable.  Storms  were  not  infrequent,  often  preventing  the 
boats  from  landing  our  stores,  in  consequence  of  which  our  ra 
tions  were  sometimes  insufficient.  Once  we  took  advanced  les 
sons  in  starvation,  being  forced  to  live  for  five  days  on  very  small 
allowances  of  rice  alone.  If  any  Grahamite  fancies  that  rice  is 
not  light  diet,  he  can  obtain  valuable  information  by  inquiring  of 
any  member  of  the  96th  Ohio  who  participated  in  this  experi 
ment.  Col.  De  Crow  owned  this  peninsula,  and  lived  at  the  ex 
treme  point,  which  bears  his  name.  His  wealth  was  said  to  consist 
largely  in  30,000  sheep,  which,  if  it  were  true  when  we  arrived, 
was  hardly  correct  when  we  left  ! 

On  January  igth,  the  4th  Division,  to  which  the  96th  then  be 
longed,  was  ordered  to  be  ready  to  move  on  the  morrow.  This 
proved  to  be  a  bootless  march  to  within  thirteen  miles  of  a  rebel 
fort,  from  which  we  returned  and  encamped  on  the  same  penin 
sula,  seven  miles  from  De  Crow's  Point.  At  this  place  the  96th 
proceeded  to  construct  a  fort  for  protection,  chat,  in  honor  of 
their  beloved  Colonel,  they  named  Fort  Vance. 

Being  undisturbed  by  the  enemy,  we  loitered  along  the  shores 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  51 

catching  fish  and  gathering  specimens  of  marine  shells,  many  of 
which  were  of  great  beauty.  On  the  25th,  we  were  placed  in 
motion,  marching  to  De  Crow's  Point,  and  on  the  2yth  and  28th 
the  peninsula  was  abandoned,  the  troops  having  crossed  to  Mata- 
gorda  Island,  where  we  embarked  on  the  steamer  St.  Mary.  None 
were  to  be  left  behind,  and  many  of  the  sick  were  carried  on 
board,  among  whom  many  will  remember  George  Case,  of  Co.  G. 
He  had  been  for  months  suffering  from  a  disease  against  which  he 
had  battled  bravely,  but  in  vain.  Earnest  in  the  performance  of 
his  duties  as  a  soldier,  he  chose  to  remain  with  his  comrades 
and  share  their  perils  rather  than  go  to  the  hospital.  We  had 
learned  to  love  him,  because  of  his  many  noble  qualities,  and  had 
often  noticed  the  calm  resolution  with  which  he  met  every  priva 
tion  and  danger.  The  same  calm  courage  sustained  him  still. 
He  seemed  to  regard  death  as  a  bright  angel,  for  whose  guiding 
hand  he  waited.  Being  entirely  helpless,  we  carried  him  on  board 
on  a  stretcher,  from  which  he  could  not  rise.  There  were  many 
of  his  comrades  who  withdrew  from  the  bustle  and  din  of  embar 
kation  to  stand  close  beside  him  and  note  the  faltering  pulse  and 
halting  breath,  that  told  too  plainly  that  the  sands  of  life  were 
nearly  run  out.  His  voice  grew  weaker  as  he  said  his  good-bye  ; 
his  face  was  pallid  and  his  hands  were  icy-cold  as  we  pressed  them, 
to  tell  him  of  our  love.  Above  us,  illuminating  the  banner  with 
its  stripes  and  stars,  the  golden  sun,  sinking  beneath  the  sea, 
poured  a  flood  of  loveliness  over  the  face  of  our  dying  comrade, 
who,  just  as  the  light  dissolved  into  shadows,  cast  upon  us  a  last, 
wistful  look,  gasped,  and  was  dead. 

Landing  on  the  3d  of  March  at  Algiers,  we  proceeded  by  rail 
to  Brashear  City,  and  crossed  thence  to  Berwick,  where,  going  into 
camp,  preparations  were  commenced  for  future  campaigning. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

RED    RIVER. 

Turning  over  all  our  tents  and  everything  with  which  we  could 
possibly  dispense,  the  preparations  for  a  rapid  movement  were 
complete  on  the  yth  of  March,  1864,  at  which  time  the  various 
columns  were  put  in  motion  for  scenes  of  defeat  and  disaster  to 
our  arms,  and  varied  fortunes  to  the  cotton  speculators.  We 
marched  again  through  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Teche — the 
land  of  perpetual  summer,  made  famous  by  Longfellow,  whose 
gentle  Evangeline  wandered  here  alone,  seeking  for  her  unhappy 
lover — in  strange  contrast  with  our  search,  with  bayonet,  sabre 
and  cannon,  for  an  implacable  enemy.  Never  did  love  revel  in 
more  arcadian  realm. 

"  Faint  was  the  air  with  the  odor  of  magnolia  blossoms." 

Groves  of  the  orange  and  citron,  beautiful  as  delicious,  delicious 
as  beautiful,  whether  in  bloom  or  fruit,  were  flanked  here  and 
there  by  lakes  and  streams,  on  the  borders  of  which,  and  on  the 
sleeping  islands, 

" the  towering  and  tenebrous  boughs  of  the  cypress, 

Met  in  dusky  arches,  and  trailing  mosses,  in  mid  air, 
Waved  like  banners  that  hang  on  the  walls  of  ancient  cathedrals." 

Stern  discipline,  and  still  sterner  duty,  did  not  blind  us  to  these 
delicious  beauties,  as,  from  day  to  day,  we  wandered  on  through 
this  fittest  land  of  dreams 

On  the  i pth,  encamping  near  the  battle-ground  of  Grand  Co- 
teau,  delight  was  turned  into  sorrow  as,  in  the  evening  twilight 
and  morning  dawn,  we  wandered  among  the  graves  of  our  lost 

comrades, 

"  Whose  proud  forms  in  battle  gashed 
Are  freed  from  anguish  now" 

Turning  from  this  spot,  dear  to  our  memories  as  the  silent 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  53 

sleepers  to  our  hearts,  we  wandered  on  in  fairy  land.  Marching 
proudly  through  Opolousas  and  Alexandria  and  crossing  Cane 
River,  on  the  3ist  a  brief  halt  was  made  for  rest  at  Natchitoches. 
There  we  were  visited  by  that  grand  old  soldier,  Gen.  A.  J. 
Smith,  in  company  with  Gen.  Banks.  The  regiment,  voluntarily 
and  with  wildest  enthusiasm,  fell  into  line,  and  for  our  former 
commander  made  the  welkin  ring  with  cheers.  He  knew  this  was 
no  empty  compliment,  and,  riding  forward,  made  a  soldier's 
speech — blunt,  brief,  and  tender.  Recognizing  us  as  a  part  of  his 
old  Division  in  a  most  genial  and  complimentary  manner,  and 
cheering  us  with  words  of  comfort  and  kindness,  he  passed  on, 
while  we  shouted  our  devotion  and  good-by. 

That  every  good  has  its  corresponding  ill,  every  sweet  its  bitter, 
is  an  oft-repeated  statement,  of  which  we  then  experienced  a  for 
cible  illustration.  The  country  changed  in  every  aspect,  the 
dreamy  sweets  of  that  behind  us  being  suddenly  supplanted  by 
sandy  undulations,  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  towering  trees. 
Through  these  lone,  dark  and  apparently  endless  groves  lay  a  nar 
row,  winding  road,  along  which  we  marched  in  cheerless  isolation. 
We  were  so  far  on  the  frontier  of  Southern  civilization,  that 
scarcely  a  trace  of  even  the  rudest  efforts  at  agriculture  or  enter 
prise,  in  any  form,  were  to  be  seen  for  many  miles.  As  darkness 
settled  down  upon  this  land  of  gloom,  we  went  into  camp,  the 
winds  whispering  among  the  boughs  above  us  a  chilling  wel 
come. 

Long  before  morning  light,  the  heavy  tramp  of  our  column  re 
sounded  along  the  narrow,  tortuous  path.  The  cavalry,  under 
General  Lee,  in  the  advance,  was  followed  by  the  Thirteenth 
Corps,  the  Nineteenth  bringing  up  the  rear.  We  had  proceeded 
but  a  short  distance,  when  the  sharp  crack  of  the  carbine  gave  us 
ample  notice  that,  however  negligent  the  few  residents  might  be 
in  peaceful  pursuits,  there  were  those  in  these  dark  forests  who 
were  enterprising  in  treason.  This  thrilling  music  gradually  in 
tensified  as  we  advanced,  the  enemy  gradually  but  slowly  reced 
ing.  Presently,  through  the  woods  came  the  ringing  rattle  of 
volley  on  volley.  The  skirmish  had  become  a  battle,  toward 
which  we  were  hastening  with  utmost  speed.  The  enemy  had 


54  SERVICES   OF    THE   NINETY-SIXTH   O.  V.  I. 

fallen  back,  fighting,  to  an  open  ravine  that  stretched  across  our 
narrow  line  of  march,  forming  on  either  side  an  open  space,  very 
densely  bordered  with  timber  and  underbrush,  on  the  further  side 
of  which  they  lay  in  ambush.  Our  column,  pressing  into  this, 
suddenly  received  a  fierce  discharge  from  the  hidden  muskets 
and  carbines.  Emptied  saddles  attested  the  deliberation  of  their 
aim ;  but  quickly  deploying,  as  best  he  could,  each  man,  measur 
ably  commanding  himself,  groped  through  the  brambles  forward 
on  the  foe  It  was  feeling  an  uncertain  way  against  the  muzzles 
of  a  hidden  enemy,  at  the  cost  of  many  killed,  wounded  and  pris 
oners — among  the  latter  being  two  entire  companies  of  New  York 
cavalry.  But  Lee,  steadily  pushing  forward,  at  whatever  cost, 
at  last  the  rebels,  yielding  slowly  and  sullenly,  broke  into  beautiful 
disorder,  when  the  pistol  and  the  sabre  of  the  pursuers  made  am 
ple  amends  for  the  losses  they  had  sustained. 

A  hurried  march  failing  to  enable  the  infantry  to  reach  the  field 
in  time  to  participate  in  the  action,  they,  in  due  time,  went  into 
camp  near  the  ragged  and  forbidding  Southern  village  of  Pleasant 
Hill. 

The  cavalry,  following  up  their  advantage  by  continued  skir 
mish  and  battle,  at  last  halted  ten  miles  beyond  the  village,  at 
Carroll's  Mills,  in  front  of  a  strong  position,  where  they  bivouacked 
on  the  field,  laying  all  night  on  their  arms.  Their  situation  there 
was  so  precarious,  that  at  3  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  2d  Brigade 
of  the  4th  Division,  Thirteenth  Corps,  moved  to  their  support. 
Col.  Vance,  p6th  Ohio,  commander  of  the  brigade,  being  so  seri 
ously  ill  as  to  force  him  to  accept  an  ambulance,  Col.  Landrum,  of 
the  1 9th  Kentucky,  in  command  of  the  division,  fully  comprehend 
ing  the  difficulty  and  importance  of  the  duty,  temporarily  took  his 
place  and  led  it  forward.  Reporting  about  daylight  to  Gen. 
Lee,  no  time  was  lost  in  putting  the  troops  in  motion.  The  enemy 
made  the  most  determined  resistance  from  every  available  point, 
the  combined  and  unceasing  efforts  of  Lee  and  Landrum  forcing 
them  slowly  back,  at  the  rate  of  about  half  a  mile  an  hour,  until 
near  12  o'clock. 

Thus  stubbornly  they  yielded  the  road  to  Mansfield,  every  inch 
oi  which  was  wrested  from  them  by  force  of  arms.  As  a  tiger, 


SERVICES   OF    THE   NINETY-SIXTH   O.  V.  I.  55 

with  bared  teeth,  in  his  lair,  turns  defiantly  on  his  pursuers,  so 
they,  selecting  a  favorable  field  within  three  miles  of  Mansfield,  on 
which  to  offer  us  desperate  battle,  await  our  approach. 

With  a  few  exceptional  spots,  the  same  dark  and  forbidding 
forest  had  continued,  through  which  wound  the  narrow  wagon 
road  that  here  merged  into  a  cleared  space,  nearly  a  mile  in  ex 
tent  in  either  direction.  Immediately  beyond  the  edge  of  the 
woods  a  slight  ridge  ran  parallel  with  it,  the  ground  sloping  grad 
ually  downward  into  a  ravine,  through  which  meandered  a  shallow 
brook.  Gradually  rising  from  this  rivulet,  and  about  half  a  mile 
distant  from  it,  another  sharp  ridge  lay  almost  directly  across  the 
road.  The  top  of  this  ridge  was  covered  by  a  narrow  belt  of  tim 
ber  that  terminated  about  100  yards  to  the  left  of  the  road,  in 
cleared  slopes  and  small,  naked  hills — a  fence  extending  along  the 
elevation,  forming  the  boundary  between  two  intensely  ragged 
plantations. 

This  position  was  immediately  occupied  by  General  Lee,  the 
Infantry  Brigade  of  Colonel  Landrum.  consisting  of  the  i3oth  111., 
48th  Ohio,  96th  Ohio,  6oth  Indiana,  and  83d  Ohio,  being  posted 
in  the  woods  on  the  right  of  the  road,  immediately  behind  the 
plantation  fence.  These  men,  from  their  continued  and  se^re 
exertion,  had  become  so  utterly  exhausted  that  Col.  Landrum  had 
forwarded  a  statement  of  the  fact  to  headquarters,  with  a  request 
that  other  infantry  troops  be  sent  to  relieve  them. 

The  ist  Brigade  of  Landrum's  Division,  in  command  of  Col. 
Emerson,  67 th  Indiana,  had  been  dispatched  with  all  possible 
haste ;  and  so  deep  was  the  concern  of  General  Ransom  in  regard 
to  the  situation,  that  he  accompanied  it  in  person,  and,  on  his 
arrival,  at  once  took  command  of  the  infantry  on  the  field.  De 
clining  to  relieve  the  2d  Brigade,  as  was  both  his  orders  and  in 
tention,  with  all  possible  despatch  Emerson's  newly  arrived  troops 
were  placed  in  position,  immediately  to  the  left  of  the  road — 
Nim's  Battery  occupying  a  bald  hill,  supported  by  the  23d  Wis 
consin  on  its  left  and  the  6;th  Indiana  on  the  right. 

A  glance  at  the  field  had  so  impressed  the  mind  of  the  gallant 
Ransom,  that  he  not  only  determined  to  use  all  the  infantry  pres 
ent,  comprising  but  two  small  Brigades,  in  all  less  than  2,000  men, 


56  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.   I. 

but  also  sent  orders  to  Col.  Brown,  who  had  been  detailed  with  his 
regiment  as  guard  to  the  ammunition  train,  to  hasten  forward  with 
the  96th  Ohio.  This  regiment  promptly  started  to  the  front,  and 
were  met  on  the  way  by  a  member  of  Ransom's  staff,  who  privately 
notified  the  Colonel  that  danger  was  imminent  and  time  exceed 
ingly  precious,  giving  him  the  General's  instructions  to  abandon 
everything  and  hasten  forward. 

Arriving  on  the  field,  General  Ransom  greeted  Colonel  Brown 
with  a  hearty  "Thank  God,  you  are  here,"  immediately  conduct 
ing  him  to  his  position  in  the  line  of  battle.  The  men  piled  their 
knapsacks  in  the  rear  of  the  belt  of  timber,  in  preparation  for  a 
most  desperate  fight.  Seeing  the  troops  prepared  for  battle,  and 
everything  indicating  a  severe  struggle,  was  more  than  the  nerves 
of  Colonel  Vance  could  bear.  Disregarding  the  wishes  of  his 
staff  and  the  advice  of  his  surgeon,  he  abandoned  the  ambulance, 
and,  although  unable  to  mount  his  horse  without  assistance, 
assumed  command  of  his  Brigade,  relieving  Colonel  Landrum, 
who  took  immediate  command  of  the  infantry  line. 

The  cavalry  and  mounted  infantry  of  General  Lee,  posted  on 
either  flank,  completed  the  preparation  for  attack  or  defense. 
Dark  mysteries  lie  hidden  in  a  near  approaching  hour.  Wearily, 
and  with  painful  expectations  all  await  the  beginning  of  the  drama. 

Before  the  curtain  rises,  a  glance  at  the  surrounding  conditions 
will  better  enable  us  to  comprehend  the  events  that  follow : — 

Being  on  the  crest  of  the  hill  with  the  line  of  battle,  and  turn" 
ing  to  the  rear,  before  us  lies  the  cleared  ground,  bordered  by  the 
dense  forest,  less  than  a  mile  distant.  Close  behind  the  cavalry, 
on  either  flank,  are  gathered  a  cloud  of  attendants,  of  all  colors 
and  conditions,  mounted  and  dismounted,  with  a  strange  but  vast 
collection  of  all  the  beasts  of  burthen  that  could  be  gathered  upon 
the  march.  To  the  left  of  the  road,  and  about  half  way  from  where 
we  stand  to  the  ravine,  is  a  cluster  of  houses  from  which  floats  the 
yellow  hospital  flag,  while  further  on,  and  near  the  edge  of  the  forest, 
is  a  small  building  used  by  Gen.  Banks  as  his  headquarters — his 
occupancy  being  brief,  from  circumstances  which  he  failed  to  con 
trol.  That  forest  of  towering  pines,  rendered  dense  by  under 
growth,  rises  like  a  wall  before  us,  and  is  penetrated  by  the  road 


SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  57 

that  from  our  feet  crosses  the  open  fields  to  enter  the  narrow, 
winding  canal  that  has  been  hewn  through  it.  Passing  into  this 
colossal  forest  canal,  we  shall  find,  close  to  the  edge  of  the  open 
field,  the  head  of  a  column  of  army  wagons,  that  pack  it  full  for 
not  less  than  three  miles,  where  listless  drivers  await  orders  or 
fright,  and  half-sleeping  mules  demurely  expect  the  sulphurous 
word  and  whip.  Passing  on,  we  shall  find  the  dense  wood,  here 
and  there  only,  broken  by  comparatively  open  spaces,  but  no 
where  a  cross  road,  scarcely  any  where  a  point  in  the  road  wide 
enough  for  wagons  to  pass,  and  so  far  from  affording  facilities  for 
cavalry  to  maneuver  in  battle,  infantry  can  with  difficulty  and 
very  slowly  make  their  way.  Continuing  our  observations,  we 
shall  find,  at  two  o'clock,  the  3d  Division  of  the  Thirteenth  Corps, 
under  Gen.  Cameron,  ordered  forward  by  Gen.  Banks,  who  had 
arrived  about  one  o'clock  on  the  field,  marching  past  the  Nine 
teenth  Corps  in  camp  killing  beeves,  in  the  utmost  serenity  and 
unconcern — cooking  their  rations  ten  miles  from  the  point  of 
danger. 

Every  officer  and  soldier  had  all  that  and  the  previous  day 
been  convinced  that  they  were  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy  in 
force,  who  would  give  battle  on  a  field  of  their  own  choosing,  and 
upon  which  they  would  be  likely  to  come  unexpectedly.  It  would 
seem  to  a  soldier  ot  average  sense  equally  plain  that  the  road  to 
their  rear,  and  especially  between  them  and  the  remainder 
of  the  army,  should  be  kept  clear  for  the  passage  of  fighting 
men,  so  that  in  an  emergency  they  could  be  moved  with  all 
possible  speed  to  the  support  of  those  engaged,  as  well  as  to 
afford  facilities  for  successful  retreat  in  case  of  disaster — a  provis 
ion  never  overlooked  by  a  prudent  and  capable  commander.  To 
meet  these  plain  emergencies  of  the  hour,  the  wearied  cavalry  and 
two  small  brigades  of  infantry,  one  of  which  is  utterly  exhausted, 
stood  face  to  face  with  an  enemy  that  had,  from  early  light,  stub 
bornly  contested  every  inch  of  ground,  and  at  twelve  o'clock 
shown  plainly  that  they  had  chosen  their  field.  In  our  rear  is 
an  unbroken  forest  and  the  narrow  road,  which,  for  three  miles, 
was  completely  chocked  by  teams ;  and,  at  two  P.  M.,  those  that 
should  have  been  ready  and  within  easy  reach  were  calmly  luxuriat- 

5 


58  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

ing  in  camp  far  in  the  rear.  Rarely  has  any  military  commander 
demonstrated  his  incapacity  by  such  sublime  stupidity ;  and  never 
were  brave  soldiers  more  wantonly  exposed  to  unnecessary  and 
certain  slaughter. 

Turning  now  to  the  front :  Before  the  hill  to  the  left  of  the 
road,  on  which  Nim's  black  bloodhounds  are  waiting  and  watch 
ing,  we  discover,  for  a  small  distance,  open  fields,  while  on 
our  right  a  narrow,  level  but  broken  plateau  lies  in  front  of 
the  clump  of  trees  in  which  Vance's  brigade  is  posted.  This 
narrow  plateau,  at  its  farther  border,  breaks  sharply  into  a 
slope,  the  base  of  which  is  bordered  by  timber,  less  than  a 
half-mile  distant  on  the  right,  sweeping  irregularly  to  the  left, 
where  its  distance  is  less  than  three-fourths  of  a  mile. 

Gen.  Ransom,  having  viewed  the  ground  from  the  skirmish 
line,  reports  that  he  can  see  two  batteries  and  a  large  force  of  in 
fantry  in  line  of  battle  in  the  edge  of  that  timber,  and  also  consid 
erable  bodies  of  infantry  moving  down  the  road  toward  our  right 
and  rear.  Adjutant  Mitchell,  96th  Ohio,  climbing  a  tree  on  the 
crest  of  the  hill,  observes  a  cloud  of  du'st  continually  rising,  far  to 
the  left  and  extending  to  our  centre  and  right.  This  is  evidently 
caused  by  troops  marching  along  the  Sabine  road,  that  crosses  the 
one  we  occupy  at  a  little  distance  beyond  the  belt  of  wood  in 
which  the  rebels  are  massing  their  men.  These,  certainly,  are  re 
inforcements;  for  which  the  enemy  have  anxiously  waited,  their 
previous  fighting  having  been  for  the  purpose  of  gaining  time  for 
their  arrival. 

We  are  in  the  presence  of  a  brave  and  defiant  enemy  elated 
with  reinforcements,  with  the  infinite  advantage  of  a  field  of  their 
own  chcosing,  and  in  numbers  three  to  our  one.  A  dense  forest 
is  behind  us,  its  only  narrow  roaid  for  three  miles  completely 
blocked  with  wagons  and  teams,  with  our  only  support  so  far  in 
the  rear  that  t.ie  storm  that  is  evidently  approaching  must  sweep 
us  away  as  though  we  were  merely  chaff.  The  situation  is  ab 
solutely  appalling.  With  the  evident  anxiety  of  officers  is  min 
gled  the  deep  concern  of  the  soldiers.  But  no  impulse  enters 
their  souls,  no  expression  escapes  their  lips,  save  those  of  stout 
determination  to  give  blow  for  blow,  naked  steel  for  steel.  Men 


SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  50 

who  are  only  brave  may  falter,  but  these  are  both  brave  and 
proud.  Their  hearts  are  steeled  in  the  school  of  fierce  experi 
ence.  They  have  listened  to  the  musketry  of  the  busy  skirmish 
ers  through  long  hours  while  they  rested  on  their  arms  in  battle 
line. 

Generals,  Aids  and  Orderlies  have  been  riding  to  and  fro  in  the 
haste  such  duty  inspires.  The  flags,  banners  and  guidons  of  in 
fantry,  cavalry  and  artillery,  float  along  that  crest  over  saddled 
horses,  frowning  cannon,  and  long  rows  of  stacked  muskets. 

It  is  four  o'clock,  and  along  the  line  passes  the  most  thrilling 
words  that  were  ever  uttered :  "  Fall  in !  fall  in  !  " —  thrilling,  be 
cause  each  man  understands  the  challenge  to  mortal  combat  has 
been  given;  that  this  is  its  acceptance,  and  that  quickly  the 
ground  will  be  spotted  with  dead,  and  streaked  and  splashed  by 
blood.  Promptly  the  infantry  respond,  "  take  arms,"  form  almost 
involuntarily  into  line  and  "  right  dress."  Artillerists  stand  to  their 
guns,  and  cavalrymen  spring  into  their  saddles.  The  half-mile 
distant  wood  is  pulsating  with  moving  men.  Suddenly,  far  to  our 
right  and  left,  appear  groves  of  glistening  muskets,  and  then,  with 
proud,  martial  bearing,  **  steady  and  solemn,"  move  two  lines  of 
battle  directly  toward  us  up  the  slope.  With  flash  and  boom 
opens  the  deep-mouthed  artillery.  Huge  missiles,  like  litrce  de 
mons  shrieking,  pass  each  other  in  mid-air.  With  plunge  of  solid 
shot  and  crash  of  bursting  shell,  suspense  has  ended  in  bloody 
battle,  just  begun.  With  firm,  undaunted  step  moves  forward  the 
glittering  lines  of  brown  and  gray.  Shots  plow  gaps  through 
them,  shells  burst  in  their  midst  and  form  caverns  in  the  mass  of 
living  men.  But  the  gap  and  cavern  alike  are  instantly  effaced,  as 
others,  taking  the  places  of  their  dead  comrades,  march  rapidly 
on. 

Lee's  cavalry,  on  our  flanks,  that  have  so  long  been  waiting, 
now  move  in  battle  line  swift  and  straight  on  the  advancing  foe. 
They  empty  their  carbines,  and  sabres  glimmer  through  the  hazy 
smoke.  The  line  of  brown  and  gray  is  rock-ribbed  adamant, 
from  which  recoiis  a  scattered  mass  of  cavalry  riding  madly,  and 
frantic  horses  riderless.  The  horde  of  servants  and  camp  followers, 
mounted  and  dismounted,  noto  the  disaster.  Fright  seizes  them 


60  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.   I. 

with  ghastly  grip ;  a  vast  wave,  in  which  is  mingled  armed 
horsemen,  rolls  wildly  back.  Fragments  of  the  command  rally, 
and,  for  a  brief  time,  find  protection  in  the  rear  of  the  infantry, 
that  now  are  hotly  engaged.  That  double  line  of  battle  has  not 
for  an  instant  faltered,  but,  marching  straight  up  the  slope,  heed 
neither  the  blasts  of  grape  and  canister,  nor  the  storm  of  whist 
ling  minie-balls  with  which  we  greet  them.  The  voice  of  the 
gallant  Ransom  is  heard  along  his  line.  Every  officer  and  soldier 
stands  firmly  to  his  place,  knowing  full  well  the  duty  they  have  both 
the  pride  and  courage  to  perform.  To  the  battle's  din  and  roar 
is  added  the  screech  and  yell  of  the  attacking  lines,  that,  bleed 
ing  at  every  pore,  seem  looted  to  the  earth  close  before  us. 
To  right,  to  left,  the  fierce  volleys  roll,  and  rattle,  and  crash.  Dead 
and  wounded  strew  thickly  the  ground.  Braver  men  never  defied 
danger  than  those  standing,  falling  there,  who  in  the  iron-sleet  can 
not  advance,  and  are  determined  never  to  retreat.  But  to  stern 
fate  they  yield  at  last.  It  is  a  brief-time  victory,  only  won  by 
stern  determination. 

The  Chicago  Mercantile  and  ist  Indiana  Batteries  have  just 
arrived,  and  galloping  into  position  down  the  slope  near  the  ra 
vine,  send  their  hissing  shot  over  our  heads  into  the  reformed 
and  reinforced  lines  that  now,  in  a  crushing  mass,  come  with 
demon  shout  and  yell  over  the  ground  they  had  just  failed  to  hold. 
It  is  frightful  to  see  men,  gashed  and  tattered,  tumbling  to  the 
earth.  "  Alas !  their  mothers  shall  never  see  them  again !  "  Heed 
less  of  everything,  they  hesitate  not  an  instant  until  within  200 
yards,  where,  halting,  many  lie  down  and  return  our  fire.  It  is  a 
giant's  death-grapple,  and  both  friend  and  foe  prove  themselves 
heroes.  Men  carry  their  fallen  comrades  to  the  rear  and  return 
to  their  places  in  the  fight.  A  tremor  runs  through  the  g6th 
Ohio.  Firing  in  hot  haste,  their  40  rounds  are  almost  exhausted. 
Springing  into  his  saddle,  Adjutant  Mitchell  hurries  to  the  ammu 
nition  train  in  the  woods  at  the  rear.  Quartermaster-Sergeant 
Kirk,  on  duty  there,  forsakes  his  official  place  of  safety,  volun 
teering  to  aid  the  Adjutant,  and  each,  taking  a  box  of  precious 
cartridges  before  him,  gallops  through  the  shot  and  shell  to  the 
rear  of  the  battle-line,  and  there,, distribute  them.  In  their 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.   I.  61 

front,  charge  the  brave  New-Orleans  Crescent  City  Guards, 
only  seventeen  of  whom,  in  the  repulse  that  follows,  reel  from  the 
bloody  field  But  the  fierce  struggle  has  engulfed  the  left;  the 
23d  Wisconsin  has  melted  as  in  a  furnace  heat.  The  gunners  of 
Nim's  Battery  pour  their  last  charge  of  grape  into  the  glittering 
eyes  of  the  captors  before  .they  seek  safety  in  flight — their  cap 
tain  being  a  prisoner.  The  hill  is  covered  with  "butternuts," 
who,  the  Federal  cannon  in  their  ha  ids,  are  pouring  shot  and  shell 
into  the  flank  of  our  troops. 

The  Batteries  on  the  right  are  ordered  to  fall  back,  and  take 
position  near  the  woods.  Colonel  Landrum,  commanding  the 
Division,  and  Colonels  Vance  and  Emerson,  of  the  Brigade,  have 
been  conspicuous  and  present  at  every  point  of  duty  and  danger 
— the  latter  now  wounded  and  a  prisoner. 

The  heavy  masses  that  have  been  hurled  against  our  right  have 
crushed  it  into  fragments,  and  the  rebel  horde,  pouring  down  the 
valley,  sweep  around  the  end  of  the  ridge  into  the  open  field  im 
mediately  in  our  rear.  General  Ransom,  seeing  the  fiery  coil 
rapidly  enfolding  us,  sends  his  Adjutant  to  direct  Colonel  Lan 
drum  to  withdraw  his  troops.  The  gallant  Captain  Dickey  gallops 
forward  to  obey  the  order,  but,  unobserved,  falls  senseless  and 
mortally  wounded.  Dense  smoke  rolls  over  the  field  in  cloud  on 
cloud.  The  crash  of  volleys  mingles  with  shouts  and  yells.  The 
right  and  left  have  melted  entirely  away,  unknown  to  those  who 
fight  in  the  center— some  being  cut  off  by  the  enemy  in  their  rear, 
of  which  they  had  no  knowledge.  The  death  of  Captain  Dickey 
has  consigned  them  to  a  bitter  fate. 

The  96th  have  never  left  the  fence  by  which  their  line  was 
formed,  and  see  before  them  no  enemy  but  the  swath  of  the  dead, 
when  Colonel  Brown  receives  an  order  to  retreat.  So  utterly  ob 
livious  is  he  of  defeat,  that,  though  obeying,  he  protests  against 
the  order,  as  no  enemy  can  be  seen  in  his  front.  Looking  along 
the  line  to  the  right,  can  plainly  be  seen  a  column  of  troops 
moving  toward  his  position  on  the  same  side  of  the  fence,  but, 
supposing  it  to  be  the  troops  of  the  line  on  his  right  moving  to 
the  left  to  close  up  a  gap,  he  'bout  faced  his  men,  and  marched 
leisurely  to  the  rear,  halting  for  the  purpose  of  picking  up  the 


62  SERVICES   OF    THE   NIITETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

knapsacks  they  had  piled  up  before  going  into  position.  Receiv 
ing  a  volley  from  the  rear,  the  surprised  p6th  instantly  'bout  face 
and  deliver  their  fire.  An  officer  gallops  up,  in  breathless  haste, 
to  present  the  compliments  of  General  Ransom  and  say  that  the 
enemy  have  the  field,  and  he  must  instantly  "  double  quick,"  or 
be  lost.  Confused  with  the  idea  of  leaving  a  field  without  an  en 
emy  before  him,  and  knowing  nothing  of  the  fate  of  the  flanks, 
the  stolid  Brown  marches  his  men  down  the  slope,  as  if  on 
dress  parade,  until,  arriving  at  a  favorable  spot,  when  the 
truth  flashes  upon  him.  In  massive  lines  the  enemy,  to  right, 
to  left,  are  rapidly  closing  upon  his  command.  To  their  vol 
ley  the  poth  again  returned  their  fire,  and  in  double  quick 
seek  safety  with  their  comrades  —  every  one  of  those  who 
escaped  having  gone  before.  In  the  meantime,  the  Chicago  and 
Indiana  Batteries  have  been  delivering  their  fire,  and  Brown  has 
received  orders  to  support  them,  but  before  they  can  be  reached 
by  even  the  double  quick,  they  both  have  limbered  pieces,  and 
in  wild  gallop  rush  from  the  maelstrom  of  death  behind  to 
join  their  friends  before.  It  is  a  half  mile  up  that  slope — a  fright 
ful  half  mile — where  their  comrades  every  instant  are  falling 
wounded  or  dead.  Close  in  the  rear,  and  rapidly  closing  in  on  either 
flank,  the  glittering  arms,  and  the  line  of  fire  with  its  thin  white 
smoke,  defines  the  border  of  the  exultant;  hosts,  before  whom,  in 
wild  terror,  are  fleeing  officers  and  soldiers,  infantry,  cavalry  and 
artillery,  like  autumn  leaves  whirled  in  a  tempest.  Seeing  the 
rebels  approach  the  hospital,  situated  down  the  slope  from  the 
wooded  cre.it,  Surgeon  Hess  and  Hospital  Steward  Green,  both 
of  the  95th,  bravely  determine  to  be  captured  rather  than  aban 
don  their  wounded  comrades,  and  are  in  an  instant  surrounded 
by  the  raving  mob,  who  thrust  their  muskets  through  the  door, 
heaping  vile  oaths  and  epithets  on  the  helpless  victims  of  their 
own  wickedness.  The  arrival  of  a  rebel  officer  saves  the  hospital, 
and  the  would-be  butchers  are  swept  away  in  the  torrent  that 
rolls  down  the  slope. 

Colonel  Vance,  having  failed  to  find  even  his  regiment  in  the 
rout,  gallops  toward  the  rear  across  the  road,  and  being  halted  by 
three  rebels,  who  spring  out  of  a  clump  of  bushes,  with  reckless 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 


63 


bravery  defies  them  by  riding  on.  Three  leveled  guns  then 
quickly  flash,  and  his  riderless  horse  dashes  away.  Colonel 
Brown,  w^th  only  one  man  of  his  command,  hurries  toward  the 
point  where  the  road  enters  the  wood  and  has  nearly  reached  it, 
when  Charley  Kendall  stumbles  forward  and  falls  dead  at  his  feet. 
General  Ransom  and  Colonel  Landrurn  have  made  an  effort  to 
rally  the  fugitives  at  the  edge  of  the  wood,  but  the  former  officer 
had  received  a  severe  wound,  and  the  rallied  men  flee  in  terror. 

General  Cameron,  having  arrived  with  the  remainder  of  the 
Thirteenth  Corps,  is  just  now  forming  it  on  the  right  of  the 
road,  at  the  edge  of  the  wood.  Many  of  the  p6th  Ohio,  with 
other  fugitives,  fall  in  with  this  command,  and  offer  battle  to 
the  bitter  last. 

Colonel  Brown  had  just  reached  the  edge  of  the  wood,  now  ut 
terly  alone,  and  dismounted,  when  he  met  General  Banks  and  his 
staff  serenely  looking  out  upon  the  field  covered  with  dead  and 
wounded,  and  surging  with  crowds  of  rebel  troops.  The  dark 
ness  of  the  battle-smoke  and  of  night  renders  all  obscure  to 
him.  He  has  evidentlv  been  absent,  as  he  halts  the  Colonel  to 
ask  him  some  question  about  the  troops,  to  which  he  receives 
the  astounding  information  that  he  is  at  the  extreme  front,  with 
out  a  man  between  him  and  the  near  approaching  foe.  Of 
this  fact  he  has  sudden  warning,  as  a  cannon-ball  strikes  one 
of  his  staff,  passing  through  his  horse  and  cutting  off  both 
of  his  legs.  Requesting  the  Colonel  to  form  a  command  of 
the  fugitives,  and,  if  possible,  to  check  the  enemy  until  the  arri 
val  of  the  advancing  Nineteenth  Corps,  the  General  and  staff  rides 
away.  -  It  is  a  desperate  place  in  which  to  recruit  fighting  men. 
The  brave  veterans,  however,  are  not  conquered ;  neither  is 
their  pride  and  courage  crushed.  This  made  a  rally  possible,  and, 
at  the  command,  "  Fall  in,  men — fall  in,"  over  two  hundred,  in 
cluding  several  officers,  quickly  formed  a  line  in  the  wood,  and, 
with  loaded  muskets,  resolutely  waited  for  further  orders.  The 
troops  of  General  Cameron,  that  had  marched  in  breathless  haste 
to  the  aid  of  their  comrades,  together  with  the  gallant  fugitives 
who  had  with  them  met  the  enemy,  have  been  like  chaff  swept 
into  the  tide  of  retreat. 


64  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH   O.  V.  I. 

The  two  hundred  men,  now  unknown,  with  coolness  and 
courage  that  challenges  history  for  a  parallel,  still  turn  their 
faces  to  the  foe.  Their  skirmishers  move  cautiously  forward, 
while  the  line  is  ordered  to  hold  their  fire  until  the  word  is  given. 
They  have  advanced  but  a  few  steps  until  they  receive  a  fearful 
volley  from  muskets  almost  at  their  breasts,  and  those  who  do  not 
drop  wounded,  instantly  reply,  and  before  they  can  load  again, 
receive  into  their  faces  a  second  volley  that  flesh  and  blood  can 
not  withstand.  Delay  is  death,  either  instantly  or  by  the  slow 
tortures  of  prison,  and  these  brave  men  follow  those  who  are 
groping  to  the  rear. 

The  fight  is  done,  and  the  last  ray  of  hope  gone  out  in  dark 
ness,  defeat  and  cruel  disaster.  Every  stimulus  gone,  Col.  Brown 
finds  his  exhaustion  complete.  Without  a  horse,  unable  to  walk, 
the  end  to  him  has  come.  He  sat  down  beside  a  tree,  conquered 
in  body  and  soul,  to  await  death  or  capture.  Quartermaster-Ser 
geant  J.  E.  Kirk,  chancing  to  pass,  recognizes  him,  and,  being 
informed  of  his  condition,  at  the  peril  of  his  life  finds  a  horse, 
and  returning  with  it  and  helping  his  commander  to  mount, 
they  move  away  together.  The  forest  and  the  darkness 
is  rendered  appalling  by  the  thickly-strewn  wrecks  of  battle 
along  their  path,  by  their  dead  and  wounded  comrades  left  be 
hind,  and  by  the  shrieks  of  the  exultant  foe  who  swarm  in 
eager  pursuit. 

Here  had  been  enacted  a  strange  part  of  this  shameful  trag 
edy  :  The  first  movement  of  the  enemy  had  sent  the  cloud 
of  cavalry  hangers-on  to  the  rear  in  hot  haste.  From  the  ranks 
of  the  discomfited  cavalry,  on  either  flank,  a  mass  of  mounted 
men  rode  wildly  to  overtake  and  mingle  with  them.  The  enemy, 
rolling  in  irresistible  force  against  the  remaining  front  and  flanks, 
and  overlapping  into  their  rear,  the  infantry  and  artillery  then 
were  glad  to  escape  death  or  capture.  When  the  final  blow 
smashed  the  last  remnant  of  the  battle-line  into  fragments,  its  fu 
gitives,  mingled  with  artillery  and  caissons,  were  added  to  the 
surging  throng  that  converged  to  the  point  where  the  narrow  road 
offered  their  only  chance  of  escape.  In  an  instant  that  highway 
becomes  a  whirlpool  of  writhing  humanity,  in  which  all  distinc- 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  65 

tions  are  lost.  The  adjacent  wood  also  swarms  with  men  who 
have  groped  through  the  thickets  and  are  pressing  into  it  at  every 
point.  It  is  a  rout  of  brave  men,  who,  crushed  but  unterrified, 
carry  their  arms  with  them.  Down  the  road,  through  which  pours 
this  living  tide,  it  is  but  half  a  mile  to  the  head  of  the  column  of 
wagons  that  obstruct  it  for  three  long  and  fatal  miles.  To  the 
teamsters  and  hangers-on,  the  stragglers  sounded  the  note  of 
alarm — "  The  line  is  broken — ail  is  lost !  "  Wild  shouts  and  yells 
that  resounded  with  cannon  and  musket,  confirmed  the  frightful 
news,  and  gave  admonition  they  were  quick  to  heed.  In  a  mo 
ment  the  whole  train  is  in  motion — wagons  turning  around; 
wagons  turning  over;  wagons  slashed  against  trees;  tongues  bro 
ken;  traces  cut;  and  teamsters  and  mules,  with  and  without  wag 
ons;  artillery  and  caissons,  and  artillery  horses  and  artillery  men 
without  artillery  or  caissons,  mingle  with  horse  and  foot  in  the 
wild,  seething  struggle  through  that  dark  forest,  enshrouded  in 
sulphur-smoke,  with  the  shouts  of  the  enemy  close  in  the  rear. 
For  a  mile  this  road  is  literally  filled  with  the  wrecks  of  battle  and 
retreat — 286  wagons,  800  mules,  and  20  pieces  of  artillery,  being 
a  part  of  what  we  leave  behind. 

Wading  through  this  sea  of  fugitives-,  Gen.  Cameron  and  his  gal 
lant  troops  had  pressed  to  the  front,  in  vain  hope  to  save  the  day, 
adding  now  their  numbers  to  the  rushing  throng  that  block  the 
way  of  the  hoped-for  Nineteenth  Corps  Brave  Emory  had  at 
the  first  summons  started  to  our  relief  from  his  camp  far  in  the 
rear.  Marching  with  great  rapidity,  he  had  soon  met  the  crowd 
of  fleeing  stragglers,  cavalry,  artillery,  etc.,  as  above  stated,  re 
treating  in  the  wildest  disorder. 

An  ambulance  with  the  wounded  Gen.  Ransom  passed  by  him, 
followed  by  the  terror-stricken  crowd  that  hung  on  the  rear.  It 
was  plain  that  the  most  crushing  disaster  had  occurred,  and  that 
he  only  could  retrieve  the  loss  by  the  most  prompt  and  energetic 
action.  By  force  only  could  the  advancing  column  resist  the  tide 
of  retreat.  His  officers  bent  their  swords  in  battling  their  way 
onward.  Quickening  the  march  to  the  utmost  speed,  the  men 
were  ordered  to  fix  bayonets  without  halting.  As  best  they  could, 
the  bands  played  their  most  inspiring  airs,  to  dispel  the  fright  of 


66  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

the  retreating  men,  who  only  shouted  :  "  Turn  back  !  turn  back  ! 
all  is  lost  at  the  front !  "  as  they  eagerly  pushed  on.  Not  a 
man  in  that  heroic  command  for  an  instant  faltered  or  hesitated, 
but  with  quick  step  pressed  along  this  path  of  retreat  to  the  scene 
of  disaster  and  death.  In  sixty  minutes  they  had  marched  fully 
five  miles  and  began  to  feel  the  bullets  as  a  man  dropped  here 
and  there. 

Without  halting,  the  i6ist  New-York  deployed  as  skirmishers, 
quickly  forming  a  line  in  a  comparatively  open  wood  called 

PEACH    ORCHARD    GROVE. 

A  brigade  on  either  side  of  the  road,  a  little  in  reserve, 
with  the  2d  Brigade  across  and  at  right  angles  with  it,  waited 
for  the  advancing  enemy,  with  whom  the  skirmishers  were  al 
ready  hotly  engaged.  The  brigade  in  the  road  lay  on  their  faces, 
with  an  open  space  through  which  a  stream  of  stragglers  steadily 
passed.  Col.  Brown  had  made  a  dreary  ride  along  the  road  strewn 
with  wrecks  and  filled  with  soldiers  struggling  onward.  Passing 
many  of  those  who  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  who  were 
at  his  very  heels,  he  escapes  the  fire  they  open  on  Emory's 
skirmishers  almost  on  the  instant  that  he  gains  their  rear.  Hast 
ening  on  through  the  gap  in  the  brigade  across  the  road,  and 
through  which  he  is  the  last  to  escape,  it  quickly  closes  after  him 
with  the  precision  of  clock-work.  Some  of  the  defeated  troops 
from  the  front,  thrilled  with  admiration  for  their  comrades  who 
had  with  such  gallantry  and  soldierly  bearing  come  to  their  relief, 
rally  and  form  a  line  in  their  immediate  rear.  The  woods  before 
them  resound  with  shouts  and  musket  volieys.  The  darkness 
is  every  where  flecked  with  spectral  rifle-flashes  It  is  a  weird 
scene,  in  which  those  gallant  men  calmly  wait,  as  if  it  were  a 
bright  morning  holiday.  The  full  brass  band  of  the  Nineteenth 
Corps  stands  close  bv  the  road  and  pour  into  the  darkness  and  the 
ears  of  the  advancing  rebels  the  exhilarating  notes  of  "  Hail  Co 
lumbia,"  as  if  with  that  grand  air  flowing  from  their  lips  they 
await  capture. 

Time  can  be  counted  only  by  seconds,  for  the  skirmishers,  with 
heavy  loss,  are  hurled  quickly  back,  followed  instantly  by  the  en- 


SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I.  67 

emy  in  three  compact  columns,  one  in  the  road  and  one  on  either 
side.  Eager  in  pursuit  of  fugitives,  they  rend  the  air  with  the 
most  demoniac  shouts,  as  they  plunge  forward  to  meet  an  .expect 
ing  but  unexpected  foe.  Their  forms  are  plainly  visible  through 
the  darkness,  and  even  their  faces  glimmer  in  the  light  of  their 
musket-blaze,  when  the  waiting  corps  receive  command  to  "  fire !  " 
Delivered  coolly  and  with  accurate  aim,  the  volley  is  terri 
bly  destructive.  Stunned  as  by  a  sudden  blow,  with  ranks 
plowed  through  and  the  ground  strewn  with  their  dead,  the  fire  is 
returned.  For  fifteen  minutes  rages  a  fearful  and  bloody  strug 
gle.  No  more  desperate  men  ever  charged  a  foe,  and  no  gallant 
heroes  ever  stood  more  unfalteringly  than  do  Emory's  men  to  re 
ceive  the  lead  and  steel.  The  Zouaves  on  the  right,  whose  flashy 
dress  had  not  favorably  impressed  the  plain  soldiers  of  the  West, 
astonished  those  of  the  latter  who  see  them  promptly  take  their 
position,  firmly. maintain  it  against  superior  numbers,  and  leave 
the  ground  spotted  with  red  uniforms  stained  with  Zouave 
blood.  Drunk  as  are  the  enemy,  both  with  victory  and  powdered 
whisky,  they  can  not  brook  surprise  sustained  by  such  inflexible 
men.  And  now,  as  intense  darkness  settles  over  this  grove  of 
pines,  shutting  from  view  the  living  and  the  dead,  the  smoke - 
grimed  faces  and  the  pools  of  blood,  they  turn  their  backs  to 
seek  a  place  of  safety,  defeated  although  victorious — victorious 
although  defeated. 

Without  further  molestation,  Emory  held  his  ground  until  mid 
night,  the  commotion  and  rumbling  of  wheels  in  his  front  indicat 
ing  clearly  that  the  rebels  were  busy  caring  for  the  spoils,  so 
recklessly  lost  by  us  in  an  attempt  to  "charge  the  enemy  with  a 
wag:n  train  in  front  /" 

During  this  time  all  the  men  who  had  succeeded  in  escaping 
capture,  pushed  steadily  on  toward  Pleasant  Hill — Emory  with 
his  gallant  command  following  as  their  rear-guard  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  night. 

Sabine  Cross-Roads  must  live  in  history,  as  it  does  in  the 
memory  of  those  who  participated,  as  a  fatal  battle-field.  Lan- 
drum's  division,  which  did  all  the  infantry  fighting  on  the  first  arid 
front  line,  having  engaged  the  enemy  with  a  force  of  2,000,  lost, 


00  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY  SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

in  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners,  1,072  brave  men,  and  73  gallant 
officers.  Of  these,  the  p6th  Ohio  mourned  the  death  of  Col. 
Vance  and  Capt.  Coulter,  with  56  killed,  wounded  and  missing. 

Thus  the  entire  day  had  been  to  them  one  of  the  greatest  toil, 
most  painful  apprehension,  deadly  battle,  and  severe  losses.  And 
now,  in  the  dark  watches  of  the  night,  wearied,  hungry,  thirsty, 
and  humiliated,  we  groped,  as  best  we  might,  our  way  to  the  rear. 
Nothing  in  the  form  of  hope  sustained  us,  save  that  not  far  away 
we  should  find  needed  succor  in  the  presence  of  Gen.  A.  J. 
Smith,  who,  with  a  part  of  the  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth  Corps, 
was  somewhere  advancing  toward  the  front. 

Day  dawned  as  the  p6th,  with  what  little  of  this  division  had 
escaped  the  wreck,  arrived  at  Pleasant  Hill.  It  was  a  double 
dawn  of  light  and  hope,  for  one  of  the  first  objects  noticed  was 
Gen.  Smith,  mounted  on  his  well-known  black  war-horse.  We 
knew  his  iron  heart,  and  that  when  he  went  to  battle  his  rear  was 
not  made  impassable  for  support  or  retreat.  Having  served  under 
him,  the  feeling  was  instinctive  that  where  he-  stood  was  a  rock  of 
shelter  and  safety ;  and  here,  in  an  hour  of  severest  need,  we 
found  him  leading  a  measureably  independent  command  of  10,000 
men,  who  were  familiar  with  and  gloried  in  battle  He  had  felt 
the  peril  and  rode  in  advance  of  his  command,  who  were  pressing 
on.  Meeting  some  of  the  retreating  men  and  asking  them  who 
they  were,  they  replied  :  "  General,  this  is  about  half  of  the  4th 
Division,  which  once  served  under  you ;  we  left  the  other  half  on 
the  battle-field  of  Sabine  Cross-Roads."  If  you  could  have  seen 
us,  you  would  not  wonder  that  the' grand  old  General  replied  in  a 
muffled  voice  :  "  Too  bad,  too  bad  !  "  while  tears  run  down  his 
bronzed  cheeks ;  concluding,  after  a  moment's  thought,  with : 
"  By  Heavens,  boys,  I'll  revenge  you,"  and  then  rode  rapidly  away 
to  hurry  up  his  men,  it  being  nearly  10  o'clock  before  the  last  of 
them  arrived. 

He  had,  while  sitting  there,  probably  arranged  his  plans,  for  we 
were  on  the  little  open  space  crossed  by  the  road  on  which  we 
had  advanced  and  were  now  retreating.  The  rebels  must,  in  fol 
lowing  us,  come  by  it  into  this  open  field,  much  as  we  had  into 
the  open  plain  at  Sabine  Cross-Roads.  This  space  was  rather  cir- 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O    Y.  I.  69 

cular  in  form,  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  width,  surrounded 
by  a  forest,  which,  in  some  parts  rendered  dense  by  underbrush, 
was  in  places  rather  open  from  the  absence  of  the  undergrowth. 
The  open  ground  sloped  gently  downward  in  the  direction  of 
Mansfield,  and  extending  across  it  were  several  irregular,  hilly 
ridges. 

The  gallant  Emory  has  not  passed  into  this  open  ground,  but 
occupies  the  wood  in  front,  waiting  the  expected  advance  of  the 
exultant  enemy  About  9  o'clock  they  appear  along  the  skirm 
ish  line.  To  the  music  of  musketry,  Smith  posts  his  command 
across  the  road  at  various  points,  under  cover  of  these  ridges,  and 
hastily  constructs  works  of  defense.  His  batteries  are  placed 
in  the  most  favorable  positions,  and  as  near  as  possible  masked 
from  the  view  of  the  approaching  foe,  while  troops  are  also  sent 
to  support  the  left  of  Emory's  line.  The  skirmishing,  at  first  quite 
brisk,  gradually  dies  away  until  a  little  after  4  o'clock,  when  the 
Federal  officers  conclude  that  no  attack  is  intended,  but  wisely 
relax  none  of  their  vigilance.  At  5,  all  doubts  are  put  at  rest  by 
their  massive  and  defiant  columns  moving  in  great  force  on  our  left. 
They  fire  not  a  shot,  but,  compact  and  stern,  advance  in  overwhelm 
ing  numbers.  Ln  a  few  moments  the  centre  and  right  are  battling 
almost  hand  to  hand.  Brave  Benedict's  brigade,  on  the  left,  is 
unable  to  stand  before  his  assailants,  while  Taylor's  battery,  on 
our  right,  is  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  and  the  battle  face  to 
face  and  steel  to  steel.  The  revelry  of  carnage  is  watched  by 
Gen.  Smith,  who,  self-possessed,  sits  on  his  black  charger,  biding  the 
time  when  he  shall  unleash  his  battle-bloodhounds.  The  whole 
army,  that  had  the  day  previous  swept  the  field,  are  here  held  at 
bay  by  a  mere  handful,  over  whom  the  lurid  battle-smoke 
gathers  thickly.  For  three  hours  the  air  seems  filled  with  hiss 
ing  lead  and  iron.  Unfaltering,  unflinching,  the  rebels  press 
closer  and  closer  into  the  open  space  in  front  of  Emory.  They 
freely  stake  their  lives  on  the  rugged  issue,  and  push  wildly  for 
ward  to  gather  their  well- earned  laurels  as  Emory's  men,  over 
powered,  thinned  in  numbers,  but  with  faces  still  to  the  foe,  fall 
into  the  rear  of  Smith's  secreted  troops.  One  of  the  three  ad 
vancing  lines  has  melted  away  in  wounds  and  death,  while  the 


70  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I. 

two  remaining,  with  unabated  eagerness,  defy  death  at  the  very 
muzzles  of  Smith's  waiting  guns.  At  the  magic  word,  a  line  of 
flame  leaps  out.  Above  the  quivering  earth  rolls  a  deafening 
peal,  as  minie-balls,  mingled  with  canister  and  grape,  splash  rebel 
blood  and  crash  through  rebel  flesh  and  bone.  A  thousand  men 
lay  mangled,  bleeding  and  gasping  in  a  fearful  swath.  The  smoke 
has  scarce  rolled  over  the  dead,  when  Smith  shouts,  "  Charge !  " 
and  "  like  an  adder  darting  from  his  coil,"  the  soldiers  leap  from 
their  cover,  bayonets  glimmer  in  the  light  in  plane  of  pointed 
steel,  from  which  the  enemy  quickly  recoil.  Victory  perches 
upon  the  battle-scared  banners  that,  until  darkness  settles  on  the 
dense  forest,  follows  the  fleeing  rebels  down  the  slope  into  the 
woods,  far  beyond  the  field  where  they  left  nearly  half  their 
number. 

The  sublime  frenzy  of  battle  ended,  parched  mouths  moistened 
by  draughts  from  the  canteen,  the  sweat  and  powder  wiped  from 
our  faces,  we  pause  to  rest  in  the  twilight.  Looking  over  that  battle 
field,  it  is  impossible  to  suppress  the  thought  that  victory  is  al 
most  as  teriible  as  defeat.  The  gentle  breeze  has  borne  away 
the  suffocating  smoke.  An  hour  before,  the  smiling  sun  shone 
down  upon  the  lovely  scene,  where  now  lie  headless  trunks,  scat 
tered  limbs,  and  bodies  crushed  and  torn  into  fragments.  Here 
is  a  grand-faced  man  in  gray  with  both  legs  torn  off;  there  a  gen 
tle  youth  in  blue  from  whose  breast  a  red  stream  flows ;  yonder, 
where  swept  the  canister  and  grape,  thick  lie  the  blackened, 
bloody  dead ;  and  scattered  rows  show  plainly  where  dense  lines 
faced  the  musketry.  Everywhere,  men  strive  to  rise  but  cannot; 
whispered  prayers  are  rising  from  pallid  lips ;  and,  unheard,  save  in 
heaven,  are  the  sweet  words,  '*  wife  "  and  "  mother !  "  Everywhere 
the  wounded,  tortured  with  the  thirst  that  follows  a  sudden  drain 
of  blood,  call,  in  the  holiest  name,  for  "  water."  Mingled  with  the 
wreck  are  streams  and  pools  of  human  blood — blood  of  the  chil 
dren  of  a  common  father;  blood  of  those  whose  loving  ones  shall 
never  see  them  again,  and  shall  ever  sigh  and  weep  their  loss. 

Even  the  victor  in  his  soul  prays  for  the  time  when  "  men 
shall  beat  their  swords  into  pruning  hooks  and  nations  learn  war 
no  more."  But  that  blessed  hour  lives  only  in  the  realm  of  far- 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  71 

away  hope,  in  a  land  where  pure  justice  reigns,  and  where  rebels 
never  come.  We  are,  in  the  intervening  years,  plowing  for  the 
great  harvest  of  "  Liberty  and  Right,"  and  before  us  lies  one 
of  the  furrows.  Though  terrible,  the  victory  in  our  cause  was  a 
necessity,  and  for  it  the  commanding  officer  gave  Gen.  Smith 
most  cordial  thanks,  assuring  him  that  he  had,  by  his  "  ability  and 
courage,  saved  the  army  "  on  the  bloody  field  of  Pleasant  Hill. 
Great  as  was  our  loss,  it  was  necessary  as  a  means  of  saving 
the  train  and  supplies,  on  which  the  maintenance  of  all  depended. 
These  had  not  been  delayed  at  Pleasant  Hill.  A  part  of  the 
troops  accompanying  and  guarding  them  on  the  march,  was  the 
Division  that  had  been  pulverized  at  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  now  in 
command  of  Lieut. -Col.  Brown,  the  96th  Ohio  being  in  charge  of 
Major  Leonard. 

On  the  following  morning  the  entire  army  followed  the  move 
ment  to  the  rear  that  had  been  begun  on  the  evening  previous, 
presenting  the  strange  anomaly  of  two  armies  in  hot  haste  retreat 
ing  from  each  other.  About  10  o'clock,  the  enemy  sent  in  a  flag 
of  truce,  asking  permission  to  bury  their  dead,  finding,  to  their 
utter  amazement,  no  one  to  receive  it  but  an  assistant  sur 
geon,  in  charge  of  the  hospital  thus  abandoned  within  their  lines. 
Rebel  surgeons  at  once  took  possession  of  the  hospital — the 
Yankee  officer  becoming  a  subordinate  on  a  victorious  field. 
The  rebel  "  saw-bones  "  having,  with  great  urbanity  and  prompt 
ness,  stolen  all  his  instruments, permitted  him  to  care  as  best  he 
could  for  the  brave  men  wounded  in  honorable  battle.  Surgeon 
Sawyer,  Medical  Director  of  the  Nineteenth  Corps,  who,  two  days 
after  the  battle,  visited  this  hospital  under  flag  of  truce,  not  only 
testifies  to  these  facts,  but  that,  having  met  the  Medical  Director 
of  the  rebel  army,  he  learned  from  him,  "  that  if  we  had  advanced 
a  little  further  that  night,  or  had  advanced  next  morning,  we 
could  have  captured  all  their  artillery,  or,  at  least,  could  have  re 
taken  all  they  had  taken  from  us  "  on  the  previous  day ;  also,  that 
after  their  repulse  by  Emory  at  Peach  Orchard  Grove,  the  day 
before,  "  they  felt  themselves  so  thoroughly  beaten  and  routed, 
that  they  fled  all  the  way  back  over  the  battle-field  at  Sabine  Cross 
Roads  to  Mansfield,  intending,  if  we  pursued  them  the  next  morn- 


72  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

ing,  to  fall  back  to  Shreveport ;  but  finding  we  did  not  follow 
them,  they  followed  us."  Whether  wisely  or  unwisely,  we  in  both 
cases  hastened  away,  our  present  march  bringing  us  in  two  days 
to  Grand  Ecore,  when,  after  our  past  privation,  perils  and  losses, 
it  was  meet  that  we  should  rest.  But,  while  we  were  recuper 
ating,  the  rebels  gathered  around  us  with  renewed  determin 
ation,  and  when  we  moved  from  camp  on  the  22d,  they  followed 
us  like  sleuth-hounds  through  all  the  weary  day  and  night,  at  last 
venturing  an  attack  on  our  rear,  when  Gen.  Smith  again  admon 
ished  them  of  his  presence. 

In  this  far  western  country  few  streams  are  supplied  with 
bridges,  and  as  they  are  usually  deep,  rapid  and  miry,  there  are 
but  few  places  where  it  is  possible  to  ford  them  with  an  army  with 
artillery  and  a  va3t  train  of  heavily-loaded  wagons.  The  only 
precaution  against  this  difficulty,  is  for  the  army  to  carry  with 
them  facilities  for  constructing  their  own  bridges.  For  this  pur 
pose,  pontoon  boats  and  the  material  for  making  a  bridge  are  indis 
pensable.  Each  boat  is  built  for  transportation  by  forming  a 
frame-work — the  mere  back-bone  and  ribs — of  proper  shape. 
These  parts  are  so  constructed  that  they  can  be  quickly  taken  apart 
and  put  together.  A  huge  canvas,  as  nearly  water-tight  as  possi 
ble,  is  securely  fastened  over  this  frame-work,  and  the  pontoon 
boat  is  complete  for  launching.  Anchoring  the  proper  number 
of  these  across  the  stream,  placing  stringers  from  shore  to  shore 
across  these  floating  canvas  pontoons,  and  covering  them  with 
planks,  a  bridge  can  any  where  be  placed  in  position,  and  the  col 
umn  be  moving  over  it  in  a  very  short  time.  But  to  place  them  in 
position — form  a  bridge  at  the  muzzles  of  the  cannon  and  mus 
kets  of  the  enemy — is  an  impossibility.  Boats  are  smashed,  and 
pontoonmen  shot  down  as  if  they  were  mere  targets,  and  the 
bridge,  if  constructed,  is  swept  with  musketry,  grape  and 
canister. 

Arriving  at  Cane  River  on  the  23d,  we  found  that  the  enemy 
had  perceived  the  importance  of  that  position,  and  had  set  for  us 
a  highly  seductive  trap,  which  we  took  the  precaution  to  avoid. 
The  road  by  which  we  were  compelled  to  approach  the  ford,  for 
some  distance  lay  directly  along  the  edge  of  the  stream,  the  oppo- 


SERVICES   OF    THE   NINETY-SIXTH   0.  V.  I.  73 

site  shore  being  for  a  little  way  a  wooded  flat,  rising  suddenly  into 
What  is  known  as 

MONETT'S  BLUFFS. 

On  these  commanding  bluffs  the  rebels  had,  with  both  great  fore 
sight  and  care,  arranged  their  batteries,  supported  by  the  requisite 
infantry  troops,  while  near  the  river's  edge  their  well-manned  rifle- 
pits  were,  as  far  as  possible,  secreted  by  brush,  trees  and  fences. 
From  this  position  they  could,  and  intended  to,  sweep  the  road 
when  filled  with  troops.  A  powerful  body  of  the  enemy  had  at 
every  step  pressed  our  rear,  and  at  every  available  position  given 
vindictive  battle.  There  was  no  other  known  fordable  point,  save 
one  across  Red  River  immediately  above  the  mouth  of  Cane  River, 
where  the  attempt  could  be  made  only  in  the  face  of  the  enemy 
on  both  sides  of  both  streams — an  undertaking  in  which  failure, 
wreck,  disaster  and  ruin  were  foregone  conclusions.  Here,  then, 
and  here  alone,  must  the  enemy  be  dislodged  and  this  crossing  ef 
fected  by  the  exposure  of  naked  breasts  to  ball  and  steel— the 
first  movement  toward  which  would  convert  this  sequestered  spot 
into  a  vortex  of  carnage.  We  were  facing  a  very  Thermophylae. 
Artillery  was  being  placed  in  position  to  aid  the  forlorn  hope  that 
was  already  prepared  for  the  desperate  venture. 

Let  us  now  join  the  officers  and  men  who  survey  that  swift, 
deep  stream,  the  rebel  skirmish  lines  and  bluffs  covered  with 
earthworks  and  cannon,  as  civilians  gaze  into  the  faces  of  the  dy 
ing  and  the  dead. 

The  plot  is  quietly  thickening.  The  skirmish  fire  across  the 
stream  is  growing  sharper ;  the  calm  anxiety  of  all  is  growing 
more  intense,  when  the  opposite  hill-side  presents  a  strange  frag 
ment  of  commotion.  It  is  a  man,  already  far  in  advance  of  the 
earthworks  on  the  bluff,  in  desperate  haste  dashing  from  tree  to 
tree  down  the  slope.  At  every  step  he  adds  greater  speed,  and, 
like  an  arrow  passing  the  rebel  skirmishers,  plunges  into  the  water. 
Looking  to  the  front  they  did  not  observe  the  apparition  until  he 
struck  out  boldly  for  the  opposite  shore,  when  they  send,  splashing 
all  around  him,  a  shower  of  balls.  Without  heeding  them,  he 
plies  every  power  and  rapidly  nears  our  pickets,  who  wait,  with 
6 


4  SERVICES   OF   THE   NINETY-SIXTH   O.  V.  I, 

musket  in  hand,  and  hear  the  half-choked  words  :  "  Don't  shoot, 
Yank,  I'se  yer  frend,"  and  out  of  the  water  rises  a  first-class  con 
traband.  To  the  prompt  inquiry  as  to  who  he  is  and  what  he 
wants,  he  makes  a  quick  reply:  "  I'se  Tom-— that's  who  I  is;" 
I  wants  to  see  yer  big  Gin'r'l."  "  He  will  not  see  you.  What  do 
you  want  with  him?  "  "  I  must  see  de  Gin'r'l,  for  I  noze  sum- 
thin'."  At  last  an  audience  was  gained  for  this  plantation  pro 
duct,  who,  in  high  enthusiasm,  said  :  "  Gin'r'l,  I  b'longs  to  Massa 

;  he's  in  de  camp  over   thar.     I   see  yer  was  'gwine  fur  to 

try  to  cross  dis  yer  ford ;  de  Lo'd  luv  ye,  but  de  rebs  hab  heaps  of 
men  and  big  guns  pint'd  right  down  de  place.  Ye'll  all  be  killed 
ded  sure.  I'se  liv'd  all  my  life  'bout  heah  ;  what  I  nose  is  a  place 
'bove  heah  whar  yer  men  can  cross  over  easy  ;  I  found  it  when  I 
wras  out  coonin';  no  body  else  don't  know  it;  de  rebs  don't  know 
it;  Massa  don't  know  it,  but  Tom  nose  it."  "  Will  you  show  it  to 
us?"  "  To  be  sur  I  will;  dat's  what  I'se  cum  for."  "  But  if 
you  deceive  us,  it  will  cost  you  your  life."  "  Gin'r'l,  Tom's  ready  ; 
he'll  go  right  across  fust,  just  'fere  de  men."  "  If  you  don't  do  as 
you  promise,  I  will  order  them  to  shoot  you  like  a  dog!" 
"  Couldn't  suit  Tom  no  better.  If  I  don't  do  it  right,  let  a  hun- 
'red  shoot  me.  De  place  am  dar ;  its  narrer,  but  it's  dar,  right 
'cross  de  water,  fur  I  found  'em  coonin'."  This  proposition  of 
the  strangely  adventurous  black  chattel  is  so  far  heeded  as  to 
test  it  with  some  misgivings  and  much  incredulity.  He  is  taken 
at  his  word,  and  placed  under  guard  at  the  head  of  a  column  in 
command  of  Gen.  Birge,  that  moves  in  a  somewhat  circuitous 
manner  up  the  stream,  avoiding  notice  of  the  confident  enemy. 
With  firm  step  the  contraband  walks  to  the  narrow  ford  or  to  his 
death,  and,  strange  enough,  without  hesitancy  steps  into  the 
water,  saying:  "Now  youans  must  come  in  one  string,  and  keep  right 
after  Tom.  Don't  go  to  one  side,  for  de  ford  is  jist  whar  he  puts 
down  his  foot !  "  Looking  straight  into  the  water,  with  occasional 
glances  at  some  point  on  the  opposite  shore,  and  without  hesita 
tion  or  halt,  Tom  walks  through  the  swift  current  knee  deep,  hip 
deep  in  water.  Those  following  "  whar  de  ford  is  jist  whar  he 
puts  down  his  foot,"  have  exactly  his  experience,  while  adventurous 
souls  who  deviate  from  the  "  straight  and  narrow  path  "  receive 


SERVICES   OF    THE   NINETY-SIXTH   O.  V.  I,  75 

immersion  complete  and  thorough.  The  time  spent  in  making  this 
secret  crossing  is  occupied  by  imposing  preparations  for  an  at 
tack  at  the  ford,  with  such  an  amount  of  firing  as  to  wholly  occupy 
the  enemy  with  the  prospective  battle  and  their  almost  certain 
victory.  Hastily  forming  the  troops  detailed  for  this  duty,  Gen. 
Birge  advances  in  a  circuitous  manner  with  a  view  of  surround 
ing  them  by  moving  from  three  directions,  and  thus  effect  their 
capture.  The  nature  of  the  ground  to  be  moved  over  being 
entirely  unknown,  the  details  of  the  movement  can  be  only 
guessed  at.  The  troops  in  front  of  the  ford,  learning  of  the  pass 
age  of  the  river,  increase  their  fire,  and,  at  the  first  sound  of  the 
muskets  in  rear  of  the  rebel  works,  open  on  them  a  furious, 
belching  volcano.  Quick  come  the  splintering  volley,  the  fierce 
and  thrilling  yell,  and  the  wild  rattle  of  musketry  mingles  with 
shouts  of  defiance.  But  soon  the  artillery  fire  on  the  bluffs  begins 
to  slacken,  the  musketry  fades,  and  the  stars  and  bars  disappear. 
Fixed  bayonets  glimmer  through  the  woods  and  along  the  bluff— 
a  wave  of  blue  bears  the  banner  of  the  stripes  and  stars !  The 
unexpected  difficulties  of  the  march  prevents  the  column  de 
signed  to  close  in  on  the  rebel  right  from  doing  so.  The  enemy, 
in  bewilderment  and  haste,  avail  themselves  of  this  their  only 
means  of  escape,  leaving  in  possession  of  the  hated  "  Yanks  " 
their  invulnerable  position,  won  by  the  devotion  of  a  slave  to  the 
cause  of  freedom,  with  the  loss  of  three  or  four  hundred  killed 
and  wounded. 

We  knew  the  passage  of  this  river  to  be  very  important,  but 
did  not  fully  appreciate  its  value  until  about  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  when  six  guns  fired  in  quick  succession  far  in  our 
rear  attracted  earnest  attention.  We  were  too  old  campaign 
ers  not  to  know  them  to  be  signal  guns.  They  were  fired  by 
a  rebel  host  in  our  rear,  to  notify  their  comrades,  supposed  to  oc 
cupy  Monett's  Bluffs,  that  they  were  ready  for  the  preconcerted 
attack,  between  which  they  expected  to  grind  us  into  powder. 
But  no  rebels  guarded  the  passage,  over  which  stretched  our  pon 
toon  filled  with  a  moving  column  of  fighting  men  and  the  huge 
train  on  which  the  enemy  had  hoped  to  revel  for  food  and  spoils. 

With  stubborn   persistence  the  Confederates  pressed  our  rear, 


7f>  SERVICES   OF   THE   NINETY-SIXTH   O.  V.  I. 

hoping  by  some  means  to  gain  advantage  by  their  effort ;  but  thei'e' 
was  Smith  and  his  veterans  sternly  contesting  every  inch  of  ground* 
giving  choice  lessons  in  his  style  of  soldiering.  The  necessity 
of  haste  was  apparent,  and  was  urged  by  every  possible  means. 
A  steady  stream  for  twelve  hours  poured  along  the  bridge,  and  at 
last,  Smith  and  his  troops  having  crossed,  the  removal  of  the  pon 
toon  left  in  the  rebel  path  the  same  difficulty  encountered  by  our 
selves. 

Pursuing  our  march  without  delay,  we  proceeded  directly  to 
Alexandria,  without  the  occurrence  of  further  incident  worthy  of 
note.  At  this  point  we  delayed  about  a  week,  spending  the  time 
"  watching  and  waiting  "  in  the  rifle-pits.  Everything  seemed  to 
be  in  an  uncertain  and  precarious  situation,  requiring  frequent 
efforts  to  ascertain  the  strength  and  purpose  of  the  enemy,  who, 
with  "  eternal  vigilance,"  hovered  around  and  about  us.  Detach 
ments  were  frequently  sent  out  to  "  feel "  them,  in  one  of  which 
we  joined  the  command  of  Gen.  Smith,  marching  out  on  the 
Natchitoches  road  about  five  miles.  This  resulted  in  a  rather 
lively  skirmish,  the  enemy  retiring,  but  developing  such  force  that 
it  was  deemed  prudent  to  fall  back  a  couple  of  miles,  and  in  a  short 
time  we  retired  to  our  rifle-pits  near  Alexandria. 

A  variety  of  causes  conspired  to  render  our  situation  here  peril 
ous,  and  our  duties  were  correspondingly  arduous.  To  our  front 
and  left  a  dense  wood  extended  to  within  a  couple  of  miles  of  our 
line,  which  receded  on  our  right  along  the  bank  of  Red  River, 
leaving  a  rather  level,  open  plain  for  many  miles  along  that  stream . 
This  wood  was  occupied  by  the  enemy  whose  mettle  we  had 
tested.  They  were  both  vigilant  and  courageous,  and  seemed  to 
be  as  innumerable  as  the  locusts  of  Egypt.  They  were  perfectly 
cool  and  self-possessed,  scarcely  ever  venturing  beyond  their 
cover,  but  behind  it  omitted  no  opportunity  to  do  us  damage,  the 
intervening  open  space  being  ground  forbidden  under  penalty  of 
death. 

The  expedition  embraced,  in  addition  to  the  army  proper,  the 
naval  fleet,  the  former  for  purely  military  purposes,  and  the  latter 
for  transportation  of  troops  and  quartermaster  and  commissary 
supplies,  for  which  this  point  was  the  base;  consequently  our 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  77 

safety  centered  in  this  fleet.  Strangely  enough,  it  now  depended 
solely  on  us,  for  the  most  important  part  of  it  was  hard  aground 
in  Red  River  above,  and  without  any  reasonable  hope  of 
relief.  Managed  without  any  apparent  interest  in  the  common 
cause,  and  with  the  utmost  indifference  as  to  what  became  of  the 
army,  Admiral  Porter  and  his  navy  gathered  in  supplies  of  cotton 
or  whiled  away  the  hours  in  easy  luxury.  There  were  no  plans 
projected,  or  at  least  tested,  for  the  relief  of  these  vessels,  which, 
if  they  were  lost,  must  result  in  consequences  the  most  disastrous. 
While  Banks  and  Porter  fussed  over  their  disgraceful  jealousies, 
and  fretted  over  points  of  etiquette,  we  were  not  only  required  to 
face  the  enemy  immediately  about  Alexandria,  but  to  prevent  them 
from  capturing  the  boats  and  occupying  the  open  grounds  along 
the  river.  This  necessitated  picketing  in  force  for  many  miles 
along  the  belt  of  wood  referred  to.  The  96th  Ohio,  as  one  of  the 
regiments  who  did  this  duty,  will  remember  remaining  in  rifle- 
pits,  without  removing  their  clothing  and  with  no  opportunity  for 
rest,  by  day  and  night  watching  the  enemy  over  their  muskets, 
their  only  food  being  cooked  in  the  far-away  camp  and  brought  to 
them  in  boxes  and  barrels. 

To  be  effectual,  an  army  must,  in  all  its  parts,  be  essentially  a 
unit  in  purpose,  and  especially  must  the  men  be  able  to  rely  on 
each  other  and  their  officers.  A  spirit  of  confidence  and  regard 
should  exist  among  the  officers,  culminating  in  admiration  of  all 
for  their  chief  as  a  gentleman  and  a  soldier.  It  was  this  that  made 
Europe  tremble  at  the  tread  of  the  legions  of  the  Great  Napo 
leon;  it  was  this  that  enabled  Sherman  to  achieve  the  glories  of 
the  campaign  that  gave  us  Atlanta,  and  that  lighted  his  holiday 
"  march  to  the  sea."  But  ours  was  in  many  respects  a  motley 
command,  made  up  of  discordant  elements.  Admiral  Porter 
seemed  to  be  so  punctilious  about  his  prerogatives  as  a  naval  offi 
cer  in  command  of  the  squadron,  that  he  with  distrust  received 
even  suggestions  from  Banks,  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  expe 
dition,  lest  they  should  appear  to  be  orders  from  an  officer  of  the 
army.  He  proceeded  with  corresponding  deliberation  and  slow 
ness  about  doing  anything  but  gathering  up  cotton  that  might  be 
laying  around  within  reach  of  "  the  navy."  Between  Gen.  Frank- 


78  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

lin,  who  had  much  to  do  with  the  conducting  of  the  campaign, 
and  Gen.  Lee,  who  cammanded  the  cavalry,  there  was  an  evident 
want  of  cordiality,  confidence  and  regard ;  and  there  was  in  the 
command  at  least  one  Major  General  who  it  was  thought  was  not 
so  thoroughly  saturated  with  loyalty  as  he  might  have  been.  In 
an  army  operating  against  a  common  enemy  there  should  have 
been  "  no  east,  no  west,"  but  the  chief  in  command  and  a  large 
part  of  these  troops  had  been  temporarily  transferred  to  this  far 
frontier,  bringing  with  them  the  pride  and  prestige  of  the  petted 
army  of  the  Potomac,  and  an  ill-concealed  disrespect  of,  and  dis 
regard  for,  the  hardy  and  unpetted  veterans  of  the  armies  of  the 
west.  These  western  troops  were  fully  prepared  with  a  similar 
feeling — "  measure  for  measure  " — for  what  they  deemed  the  holi 
day  soldiers  of  the  Potomac,  who  had  come  there,  as  they  fancied, 
with  the  idea  that  they  would  give  to  western  pupils  lessons  in  sol 
diering  and  fighting.  This  deeply-rooted  sentiment  pervading  all, 
found  frequent  expression  in  bitter  sneers  and  jeers.  In  some 
grades  arose  ugly  differences  and  much  injustice,  especially  in  re 
gard  to  the  issuing  of  rations  and  supplies  by  the  quartermaster 
and  commissary  departments.  It  was,  no  doubt,  for  this  reason 
that  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith  so  doggedly  and  in  the  most  literal  manner 
obeyed  his  orders  "  as  he  understood  them,"  having  been  lent  by 
Gen.  Sherman  to  Gen.  Banks  for  this  campaign,  and  for  a  limited 
time  only.  Refusing  to  recognize  any  superior,  he  made  no  offi 
cial  reports  to  Banks,  received  no  orders,  dated  his  own  "  Head 
quarters  Red  River  Expedition,  steamer  Clara  Belle,"  and,  with 
out  declining  co-operation,  disposed  of  his  forces  at  all  times  as 
he  chose,  fought  when,  where,  and  as  he  chose,  withdrew  when  he 
pleased,  but  took  good  care  never  to  do  so  until  he  had  left  his 
mark  on  the  field.  He  seemed  determined  that  neither  himself 
nor  the  troops  he  had  tried  in  the  march  and  battle,  and  never 
found  wanting,  should  be  no  western  tail  to  any  eastern  kite. 
Such  at  least  was  the  common  understanding  of  the  great  mass  of 
the  command,  a  condition  of  things  calculated  to  produce  the 
most  unfortunate  results,  and  in  a  variety  of  ways.  This  was  an 
army  on  which  experience  was  not  wasted,  and  in  that  severe 
school  they  had  learned  enough  of  the  art  of  war  and  philosophy 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  79 

of  battle  to  be  able  to  see  plainly  that  they  were  in  no  condition  to 
meet  an  attack  from  the  enemy  known  to  be  present ;  and  to  be 
attacked  and  defeated  was  utter  ruin,  without  a  ray  of  hope  save 
that  which  glimmered  through  rebel  prison-pens.  But,  be  it  stated 
to  their  honor,  neither  these  causes  nor  the  firmly-fixed  belief  that 
the  most  glaring  incompetency  had  cost  them  bitter  and  humiliating 
results,  dampened  the  ardor  of  the  soldiery,  who,  fixed  in  their 
purpose,  never  faltered  in  the  face  of  any  exaction  or  any  peril. 

Overhung  by  this  gloomy  cloud,  day  after  day  passed  by,  the 
punctilious  Porter  calmly  pacing  his  deck,  when  at  last  necessity 
forced  him  to  adopt  the  method  proposed  by  an  officer  of  the 
army,  Lieut. -Col.  Baily,  4th  Wisconsin  Volunteers,  to  get  the 
fleet  out  of  its  perilous  position.  After  thousands  of  the  men  un 
der  the  direction  of  this  officer  had  worked  for  ten  days  at  the 
dams,  all  were  delighted  with  the  news  that  a  part  of  the  fleet  was 
riding  in  safety  below  the  falls,  and  that  the  remainder  would 
promptly  follow.  On  the  i3th  the  fleet  was  ready  to  steam  down 
the  river,  and  we  cheerfully  obeyed  the  order  to  march,  proceed 
ing  by  way  of  Opolousas  to  Red  River,  along  the  banks  of  which 
we  moved,  and  passing  Fort  De  Russy,  reached  Simsport  on  the 
1 7th,  where  a  deep  stream,  six  hundred  yards  wide,  rushed  before 
us  at  the  rate  of  twelve  to  fifteen  miles  per  hour.  There  was  no 
bridge,  and  we  had  no  material  out  of  which  to  construct  one  of 
sufficient  length.  Here  we  were  again  indebted  to  the  ready  west 
ern  genius  of  Lieut. -Col.  Baily.  At  his  suggestion  and  under  his 
direction  the  boats  in  our  fleet,  about  fifty  in  number,  were  an 
chored  closely  together,  side  by  side,  from  shore  to  shore.  These 
made  a  novel  form  of  pontoon  bridge,  magnificent  for  strength 
and  size,  and  ready  at  hand.  Across  their  prows  were  laid 
stringers  from  side  to  side,  planks  being  placed  on  them,  and  our 
bridge  was  completed  in  a  few  hours.  The  whole  army,  with  all 
its  trains,  passed  rapidly,  the  men  drawing  the  wagons  over  by 
hand  to  insure  their  safety.  All  were  astonished  at  so  readily 
overcoming  an  obstacle  that  seemed  insurmountable,  and  the  ne 
cessity  for  which  was  so  pressing ;  for  while  this  passage  was  being 
effected,  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith  was  engaged  with  a  powerful  force  of 
the  enemy  under  Polignac,  administering  to  them  the  last  of  a 


80  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

series  of  chastisements  while  protecting  our  rear,  a  position  he  had 
occupied  continually  after  he  had,  by  his  wisdom,  skill  and  cour 
age,  smashed  them  at  Pleasant  Hill.  He  had  been  to  us  a  cloud 
of  battle-smoke  by  day  and  a  wall  of  fire  by  night. 

On  arriving  at  the  mouth  of  Old  River,  we  bade  adieu  to  him 
and  his  thinned  ranks,  on  the  2ist,  as  they  steamed  down  the 
river  for  Memphis.  From  this  point  we  marched  for  Morganza, 
where,  on  the  28th,  the  96th  Ohio  embarked  on  the  steamer  Uni 
verse  for  Baton  Rouge. 

A  fruitless  campaign,  filled  with  toil  and  privations  willingly 
borne,  with  battle-perils  willingly  faced,  with  appalling  defeats  and 
empty  victories,  was  ended.  Purposeless,  it  was  attempted  to 
carry  out  illy-formed  plans  by  men  whose  incompetency  and  jeal 
ousies  were  a  by-word  among  the  rank  and  file.  Odium  will  ever 
attach  to  Banks'  Red  River  campaign. 

Our  stay  at  this  point  was  rendered  especially  agreeable  by  the 
presence  of  Major  Bridger.  Such  cordiality  in  the  reception  of 
an  officer  of  his  rank,  with  his  "biled  shirt,"  fresh,  neat  cloth 
ing,  glittering  shoulder-straps,  thin,  white  hands  and  unbronzed 
face,  would  have  been  remarkable  had  he  not  been  a — Pay 
master  ! 

Here  we  were,  for  a  little  time,  "  freed  from  war's  alarms,"  the 
duties  being  very  light.  Our  lines  were,  however,  continually  be 
sieged  by  citizens  desiring  to  go  through  on  the  presentation  of 
passes,  not  a  few  of  which  were  detected  as  forgeries.  It  was  as 
tonishing  how  many  loyal,  intensely  loyal,  persons  there  were  con 
gregated  here,  if  reliance  were  placed  on  their  protestations  at  the 
picket-line.  They  manifested  towering  indignation  if  any  one  in 
terfered  with  their  individual  freedom  at  their  own  homes  and  on 
their  own  soil — the  soil  of  their  beloved  State. 

But  woman,  woman !  like  men,  you  are  everywhere  the  same. 
The  belles  of  Baton  Rouge  tried  the  force  of  their  charms  in  the 
securing  of  favors  denied  to  their  sterner  fathers  and  brothers ; 
and  our  officers,  what  could  they  do  but  yield? — and  yielded. 
However,  it  should  be  remembered  that,  while  this  dalliance  with 
shoulder-straps  was  progressing,  "  the  boys  "  also  took  care  to 
have  a  good,  an  unexceptionably  good  time. 


SABINE  CROSS-ROADS,  LA. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  81 

On  July  2oth,  u  the  ties  that  bind  "  were  broken  by  our  depart 
ure  on  the  steamer  Starlight,  arriving  the  next  day  at  Algiers, 
where  we  luxuriated  on  "  German  nectar,"  otherwise  known  as 
lager  beer,  at  the  expense  of  Maj.  Leonard,  in  honor  of  his  pro 
motion  to  that  rank.  Meanwhile,  there  was  evidence  of  prepara 
tion  for  another  expedition,  somewhere,  as  we  exchanged  our  old 
muskets  for  new  Springfield  rifles,  and  on  the  3ist  embarked  for 
Mobile  Bay. 


THIRD   YEAR. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

CAPTURE    OF    FORTS    MORGAN    AND    GAINES. 

Eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-four  found  both  Federals  and  Con 
federates  impressed  with  the  feeling  that  the  end  was  fast  ap 
proaching.  The  hardy  soldiers  of  the  latter  occupied  well-selected 
positions,  strengthened  by  all  that  art  could  do,  while  the  army  of 
the  Union,  nothing  daunted,  offered  stern  battle  all  along  the 
lines.  Grant,  moving  through  that  gloomy  wilderness  of  battle 
and  blood  on  the  rebel  capitol ;  Sherman,  plowing  his  way  to  At 
lanta,  and  from  there  merry-making  to  the  sea;  it  proved  to  be 
our  province  to  close  in  on  the  extreme  left  of  the  enemy  along 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Having  already  passed  through  almost  every  possible  variety  of 
experience,  from  our  first  campaigning  in  winter,  to  loitering  un 
der  scorching  suns  where  winter  is  unknown;  having  camped, 
marched  and  fought  on  highlands  and  lowlands,  dry  lands  and 
swamps ;  having  drunk  the  bitter  water  of  defeat  and  the  nectar 
of  victory,  continually  facing  danger  and  death,  we  recked  little 
of  change,  as  it  could  bring  nothing  to  us,  either  new  or  novel,  to 
be  feared  or  shunned.  Our  once  proud  regiment  of  one  thousand 
men  was  now  reduced  to  a  mere  handful,  in  which  each  knew 
the  other's  heart  and  its  metal,  just  as  each  knew  and  relied  on 
the  touch  of  his  comrade's  elbow. 

With  holiday  lightness  of  heart,  on  August  1st,  the  Thirteenth 
Corps,  in  command  of  Gen.  Granger,  embarked  for  we  knew  not 
what  or  where — the  right  wing  of  the  96th  on  the  steamer  James 
Battle,  and  the  left  on  the  Tamaulipas.  With  banners  given  to 
the  breeze  and  the  flower-scented  air  made  resonant  with  martial 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  o3 

airs,  the  brilliant  pageant  glided  down  the  stream.  For  some  rea 
son  parting  company,  the  James  Battle  passed  through  Lake 
Pontchartrain,  while  the  Tamaulipas  followed  the  river  into  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico— the  two  meeting  again  on  the  3d  in  Mississippi 
Sound  and  in  sight  of  our  field  of  operations. 

The  nature  of  the  duty  to  be  performed  was  such  that  a  co 
operation  of  land  and  naval  forces  had  been  arranged,  the  former 
in  command  of  Gen.  E.  R.  S.  Canby,  the  latter  under  the  direction 
of  the  immortal  Farragut. 

The  locality  is,  geographically,  both  peculiar  and  beautiful.  To 
us  it  was  then  especially  interesting,  because  on  its  peculiarities 
depended  both  its  value  to  the  enemy  and  the  nature  of  the  de 
fense  they  would  be  enabled  to  make  against  attack.  Now,  a 
general  sketch  is  necessary  to  an  understanding  of  the  events  to 
be  described.  As  we  lay  looking  toward  the  east,  far  away  to  our 
left  and  north  extends  Mobile  Bay.  At  its  upper  extremity  na 
ture,  as  well  as  art,  has  afforded  ample  facilities  for  gathering  to 
gether  the  products  of  a  vast  domain  of  fertile  country.  For 
these  Mobile  city  must  be  the  centre  of  commerce,  and  this  beau 
tiful  bay  the  highway  to  the  sea.  During  the  entire  progress  of 
the  rebellion,  blockade  runners,  with  little  additional  peril,  had 
supplanted  peaceful  trade,  bearing  away  the  most  valuable  of  car 
goes  and  returning  laden  with  everything  needed  by  the  rebels  to 
prosecute  the  war.  This  was  to  us  a  valuable  and  to  them  a  vital 
point.  They  had  endeavored  to  convert  it  into  an  invulnerable 
stronghold  by  every  possible  device  of  art.  Their  means  for  so 
doing  were  greatly  facilitated  by  the  peculiar  formation  of  the  out 
let  into  the  Gulf.  On  the  western  shore  Cedar  Point  stretches  far 
out  into  the  water  separating  Mobile  Bay  from  that  part  of  the  Gulf 
called  Mississippi  Sound,  while  two  small  islands  so  nearly  block 
the  way  between  it  and  Little  Dauphine  Island,  lying  a  little  to  the 
southeast  of  the  western  shore  of  Mobile  Bay,  that  there  are  only 
two  passages  between  them,  both  of  which  are  very  narrow,  un 
certain  and  perilous.  Thus  is  formed  a  chain  of  islands  sweeping 
from  Cedar  Point  into  the  Gulf,  but  partially  across  and  narrow 
ing  the  mouth  of  the  bay,  and  affording  a  site  for  the  location  of  a 
chain  of  sand  batteries  that,  bristling  with  shotted  guns,  effectually 


84  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

guard  the  passage-ways  against  any  Union  vessel.  To  give  ad 
ditional  strength  to  this  position,  on  the  northwestern  end  of  Little 
Dauphine  Island  was  located  Fort  Powell,  so  that  either  to  go 
through  these  perilous  passes  or  approach  the  shore  was  simply  to 
run  a  gauntlet  of  shotted  cannon.  Great  Dauphine  Island  stretches 
far  east  and  west,  its  northeastern  angle  being  separated  from  Lit 
tle  Dauphine  by  a  mere  rivulet  of  ocean,  and,  passing  beyond  its 
eastern  extremity,  produces  still  further  narrowing  effects.  From 
the  eastern  shore,  extending  almost  due  west  and  nearly  parallel 
with  Great  Dauphine  Island,  lies  Mobile  Point,  the  western  extrem 
ity  of  which  reaches  within  three  miles  of  the  eastern  end  of  the 
former  island,  thus  narrowing  to  this  distance  the  chief  passage  to 
the  sea,  to  guard  which  was  actually  to  guard  Mobile  Bay,  and  give 
the  golden  treasures  of  its  commerce  to  the  cause  of  treason.  To 
effect  this,  on  the  eastern  end  of  Great  Dauphine  Island  frowns, 
in  wicked  grandeur,  Fort  Gaines,  amply  garrisoned  and  armed  with 
eighty-nine  cannon  of  heavy  caliber,  while  directly  opposite,  on 
the  western  extremity  of  Mobile  Point,  rise  the  massive  walls  of 
Fort  Morgan.  This  fortress  had  cost  the  United  States  govern 
ment  one  and  one-half  million  of  dollars,  and  was  supplied  with 
one  hundred  and  thirty-two  pieces  of  artillery  that  treason  now 
leveled  at  her ;  and,  like  both  these  forts,  all  the  guns  that  formed 
this  terrible  cordon  around  the  valued  passage  to  the  bay  had 
been  stolen  from  her  by  these  precious  flowers  of  chivalry.  Dis 
tant  from  each  other  only  three  miles,  the  guns  of  these  two  forts 
swept  every  inch  of  the  intervening  sea,  and  at  any  instant  were 
capable  of  covering  it  with  a  sheet  of  whirling,  hissing  lead  and 
iron. 

Nor  was  this  all :  At  the  eastern  end  of  Great  Dauphine  Island, 
tapering  off  slowly  under  the  sea,  the  water  was  comparatively 
shallow,  a  circumstance  taken  advantage  of  to  drive  a  strong  row 
of  spiles,  that  were  chained  firmly  together  and  strengthened  by 
sunken  barges  and  cribs  laden  with  stone,  to  within  less  than  two 
hundred  feet  of  Fort  Morgan.  There,  deep  and  unobstructed  wa 
ter  afforded  a  narrow  passage  for  friendly  vessels  immediately  un 
der  the  guns  of  the  fortress  and  at  the  very  muzzle  of  three  full 
batteries  that  were  planted  in  front  of  the  fort  and  at  the  water's 


SERVICES  OF  THE  NINETY-SIXTH  o.  v.  f.  85 

edge.  In  addition  to  this  grim  array,  the  passage  was  thickly 
strewn  with  submerged  torpedoes  that,  like  sleeping  demons,  only 
needed  the  electric  touch  to  wake  them,  and,  waking,  to  spread 
quick  ruin  above  them. 

In  peace  and  security  our  boats  rocked  in  the  gently  swelling 
sea.  From  the  bright,  blue  sky  above  us  the  sun  poured  a  flood 
of  light,  and  both  the  waters  and  the  sand  smiled  back  in  glitter 
ing  brightness.  It  was  a  lovely  scene  of  unruffled  beauty  that 
covered  a  million  volcanoes.  In  the  distance  hovered  the  fleet  of 
Farragut,  while  our  little  command,  at  about  4  o'clock  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  3d,  took  the  initiative  by  steaming  down  near  to 
the  western  end  of  Great  Dauphine  Island.  Unable  to  approach 
nearer  than  two  hundred  yards  of  the  low  beach,  the  gunboatmen 
carried  us  about  half  the  distance  in  their  yawls,  from  which,  in 
two  or  three  feet  of  water,  we  waded  to  the  forbidden  land.  Not 
a  living  tking  appeared,  but  instantly  the  96th  were  deployed  as 
skirmishers  across  the  narrow  strip  of  sand.  For  full  four  miles 
we  found  the  western  end  simply  a  low,  sandy  plain,  on  which  ap 
peared  scarcely  a  living  thing,  with  the  waters  of  the  Gulf  wash 
ing  either  shore.  The  eastern  end,  about  six  miles  in  length,  was 
a  little  more  elevated  into  sandy  bluffs  and  ridges,  which  were 
sparsely  covered  with  forest-trees  and  shrubs.  This  strange  freak 
of  the  waters  was  from  one-half  mile  to  a  mile  in  width,  its  east 
ern  half  being  thickly  set  with  narrow  bayous  that  indented  its 
wood  and  shrub-lined  shores. 

All  seemed  peace  and  security  in  this  barren  realm.  The  thick 
darkness  of  night  gathered  around  us  as  we  marched  quietly  along, 
our  feet  sinking  deep  into  the  light,  yielding,  snow-like  sand. 
Having  advanced  about  three  and  one-half  miles,  we  neared  the 
border  of  the  wood,  and,  deeming  it  possible  that 

" there  might  abound 

Foes  far  better  missed  than  found" 

we  halted,  and  all  night  rested  on  our  arms,  with  no  shelter  but 
the  darkness  above  and  around  us.  Suddenly,  even  this  was  in 
tensified,  and 

"Darkness  tenfold  darker  grew" 

while  lightnings  flashed  and  thunders  rolled,  from  right  to  left  and 


80  SERVICES   OF   THE   NINETY-SIXTH   0.  V.  I. 

left  to  right,  in  fearful  frolic  close  above  us.  The  ho\vling  hurri 
cane  lashed  the  waters  that  rushed  and  raved  along  either  shore. 
The  very  clouds  seemed  shivered  reservoirs  as  the  rain  came 
pouring  from  them  on  our  defenseless  heads — fit  prelude  to  the 
terrible  drama  that  must  soon  begin.  Our  comrades  having  come 
to  our  support,  at  dawn  of  morning  we  moved  forward.  No 
enemy  appeared  to  obstruct  our  way,  but,  within  two  hundred 
yards  of  where  we  had  halted  in  the  darkness,  and  just  within  the 
edge  of  the  wood  that  had  served  the  enemy  as  a  cover,  we  found 
a  line  of  empty  rifle-pits  that,  on  the  evening  previous,  had  bris 
tled  with  loaded  muskets.  Our  halt  had  saved  us  a  bloody  re 
ception.  We  could  almost  feel  the  guidance  and  protecting  care 
of  Providence. 

For  some  distance  our  advance  was  permitted  without  opposi 
tion,  but  in  due  time  the  music  of  the  skirmish  line  began.  The 
ground  being  to  us  unknown,  we  were  prosecuting  investigations 
that  might  at  any  moment  yield  frightful  results.  Our  progress 
was,  therefore,  cautiously  made.  The  skirmishers,  protecting 
themselves  as  well  as  they  might  behind  trees,  bluffs  and  sand- 
ridges,  watched,  with  the  keen  eyes  of  hunters,  for  any  sign  of  a 
rebel  behind  any  tree,  shrub  or  sand-hillock  before  them.  The 
signs  were  sufficiently  numerous,  and  with  quick  crack  and  thrill 
ing  whiz  the  exchange  of  shots  went  on.  The  hard-pressed  en 
emy  fell  slowly  back,  and  our  reserves  followed  closely  in  our 
rear.  Each  night  joining  us,  they  aided  in  strengthening  our  line 
of  defense,  for  present  security  and  to  serve  us  in  case  of  meeting 
overwhelming  numbers  and  being  compelled  to  retreat. 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th  the  96th  again  advanced  as  skirm 
ishers,  all  day  pressing  the  enemy  from  tree  to  tree  toward  their 
main  position.  On  the  6th,  our  line  of  battle  lay  within  one 
hundred  yards  of  the  enemy,  and  about  half  a  mile  from  the  west 
face  of  Fort  Gaines.  While  we  were  thus  busied  at  the  front,  our 
rear  was  the  scene  of  the  utmost  activity,  both  by  day  and  night. 

Our  lines  being  now  well  extended,  and  the  artillery,  that  by 
very  great  exertion  had  been  got  on  shore,  having  been  placed  in 
the  most  favorable  position,  all  awaited  in  strange  concern  for  — 
they  knew  not  what.  It  was  certain  that  some  form  of  concerted 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  8? 

action  was  to  take  place  between  the  land  and  naval  forces  against 
this  position,  deemed  well-nigh  impregnable.  The  suspense  was 
painful,  as  it  was  clearly  evident  there  would  be  many  hazzards  in 
any  effort  that  might  be  made,  the  results  being  matter  of  great 
uncertainty. 

Our  attention  was  fixed  on  the  ships  that,  like  huge  birds  of 
prey  far  at  sea,  hovered  nearly  opposite  the  passage  in  front  of 
Fort  Morgan.  Much  did  we  wonder  as  to  their  aim  and  purpose, 
and  by  what  method  they  would  undertake  to  join  in  the  attack. 
Presently  their  activity  became  ominous.  Monitors  and  men-of- 
war  moved  about  in  response  to  signals  of  command.  But  little 
time  is  thus  spent  when  all  movement  ceases,  the  vessels  being  in 
line.  The  last  preparation  has  been  made.  Even  the  decks  are 
sprinkled  with  sand  to  soak  up  the  blood  yet  unshed.  It  is  a  sol 
emn  moment,  and  those  iron-hearted  men  are  bowed  in  prayer. 

Calling  again  before  the  mind  both  the  pageant  and  the  tragedy 
obliterates  intervening  years.  Again  standing  by  the  musket  and 
the  cannon,  all  becomes  not  only  fresh  and  clear,  but  in  the  pres 
ent  hour. 

The  fleet  is  again  maneuvering  before  us,  certainly  prepared  for 
duty,  as,  neat  and  trim  and  beautiful,  each  vessel  takes  its  place 
in  the  glorious  floating  far-away  pantomime. 

Now  a  signal  floats  from  a  massive  man-of-war,  and  instantly 
responsive  signals  are  displayed  on  every  vessel.  In  a  grand 
maneuver  the  line  facing  us  assumes  the  form  of  a  column.  Great 
Heaven  !  what  can  be  their  purpose  ?  In  stern,  magnificent  array 
they  move  toward  us,  a  fleet  of  mammoth  ocean  vultures.  They 
bear  right  on  in  stately  pride  as  though  Neptune  and  Mars  were 
together  celebrating  their  ancient  birthday.  Pickets,  both  friends 
and  foes,  forget  their  duty  and  lean  upon  their  arms,  to  drink  in 
the  rare  beauty  of  the  scene.  The  solemn  silence  is  only  marred 
by  the  gay  banners  that  float  from  every  ship  and  the  white  sails 
glimmering  through  smoky  columns  and  clouds  that  rise  from 
glowing  furnace-fires.  Black  and  ominous,  the  monitors  lead  the 
column.  The  men-of-war  Brooklyn  and  Octorora  in  their  wake 
are  closely  followed  by  the  massive  flag-ship  Hartford.  In  her 
decorations  beautiful  as  a  bride,  she  bears  the  immortal  Farra- 


88  SERVICES   OF   THE   NINETY-SIXTH   <X  V.  I. 

gut  lashed  in  the  rigging  far  above  her  decks.  Closely  pressing  iii 
their  rear  the  remainder  of  the  fleet  are  joined  in  pairs.  The  men 
on  the  war-ships  are  partially  protected  by  sailing  vessels  that,  fit 
ted  for  the  purpose,  are  made  fast  on  their  starboard,  so  as  to  re 
ceive  the  fire  of  the  fort.  These  floating  walls  of  both  battle  and 
defense  drop  a  little  astern  of  the  vessels  to  which  they  are  made 
fast,  so  as  to  afford  the  forward  guns  of  the  latter  open  space  in 
which  to  deliver  their  fire.  In  case  cither  should  be  totally  dis 
abled,  fired,  or  sunk  in  action,  a  possible  chance  of  escape  would 
remain  by  means  of  the  other.  Those  who  man  the  decks  and 
stand  to  the  guns  that  glare  from  the  open  port-holes  in  brazen 
silence,  must  have  hearts  of  adamant  and  nerves  of  steel.  Heav 
en's  sunlight  glimmers  on  the  smiling  waters  through  which  they 
bear  away  into  the  frowning,  perilous  path.  With  roll  of  deafen 
ing  thunder  opens  on  them  all  the  cannon  of  the  defiant  enemy- 
All  our  arms,  both  infantry  and  artillery,  have  flashed  out  their  de 
fiance  at  Fort  Gaines ;  its  defenders  have  made  its  walls  a  sheet  of 
flame.  The  air  about  us  is  full  of  minie-balls,  plunging  shot,  and 
the  fragments  of  crashing  shells.  Unappalled,  the  strong-hearted 
marines  press  forward  as  to  a  gala  carnival.  Six  vessels  have 
passed  the  most  dangerous  point.  The  head  of  the  sailing  column, 
facing  the  iron  hail,  bears  unfalteringly  on.  The  narrow  channel 
is  lined  with  the  rebel  guns  of  Fort  Morgan  and  the  shore  bat 
teries  at  the  water's  edge.  The  guns  of  the  latter  look  straight 
into  the  port-holes  of  the  passing  men-of-war.  Before  us  is  the 
waiting  navy  of  the  enemy,  and  below  the  way  is  thickly  strewn 
with  fearful  torpedoes. 

Farragut  views  with  pride  his  gallant  men  pressing  into  this 
dreadful  battle.  From  decks  and  ports  each  vessel,  as  she  comes 
in  range,  pours  volley  on  volley.  These  brave  men  seem  to  be 
both  courting  and  saluting  death.  The  Tecumseh  has  passed  the 
middle  of  the  channel  below  'the  fort.  Pelted  with  showers  of 
shot  and  shell,  she  defiantly  returns  the  fire,  when  a  torpedo,  like 
a  volcano,  bursts  beneath  her  and  she  is  instantly  riven  into  splint 
ers.  The  gloomy  monitor  rises,  rocks,  and  is  quickly  swallowed  up 
by  the  heaving  waters.  Four  men  leap  from  her  turret-ports  into 
the  water  and  swim  ashore,  while  one  hundred  sink  with  her  to  a 
watery  burial. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  89 

The  path  is  clear  for  the  Brooklyn,  that,  at  the  van  of  the  col 
umn,  breasts  the  unabating  storm. 

From  the  shrouds  of  the  Hartford  the  grand  old  hero  of  the  sea 
keeps  eagle-watch  and  commands  the  desperate  venture.  At  her 
mast-head  floats  the  glorious  stripes  and  stars,  together  with  battle- 
signals  for  their  defense. 

A  fleet  of  four  powerful  rebel  men-of-war  wait  for  any  battered, 
crippled  vessels  that  may  escape  the  ordeal,  to  complete  their  de 
struction.  Their  reliance  is  on  their  monster  ram  Tennessee. 
Her  thick  walls  of  toughest  oak  are  covered  every  where  with  six 
inches  of  bolted  iron-plating.  Her  ponderous  prow  will  crush  a 
wooden  hull  as  if  it  were  but  parchment.  The  Brooklyn  and  Oc- 
torora  have  passed  the  Hartford,  that  is  yet  under  the  fire  of  the  en 
emy,  and  Farragut  signals  them  to  attack  the  rebel  fleet  and  "  run 
down  the  Tennessee."  Instantly  the  struggle  of  leviathans  be 
gins.  The  war  ships  Monongahela,  Lackawana  and  Brooklyn,  all 
crash  against  her  their  ponderous  but  harmless  prows.  Defiantly, 
she  endeavors  to  return  the  attack  and  smash  in  the  sides  of  the 
wooden  ships.  If  she  obtains  the  position  for  which  she  maneu 
vers,  they  are  doomed,  despite  their  shots  of  steel.  The  three  re 
maining  monitors,  Manhattan,  Chickasaw  and  Winnebago,  join  in 
the  attack  and  splinter  her  wooden  ribs  inside  her  iron  plates.  A 
chance  shot  crashes  into  an  open  port,  wounds  the  commanding 
Admiral,  disarranges  her  rudder-chains,  and  the  crippled  Tennessee 
seeks  safety  in  flight,  running  upon  the  beach  to  save  herself  from 
sinking.  Two  boats  run  in  wild  haste  through  the  gauntlet  of  fire, 
and  find  protection  under  the  guns  of  Fort  Morgan,  while  the 
Selma,  overhauled  in  her  attempt  to  escape  up  the  bay,  surrenders 
to  the  Metacomet. 

With  varied  experience  of  loss  and  disaster,  our  fleet  at  length 
have  passed  the  fort,  a  miracle  of  courage,  peril  and  good  fortune ; 
the  rebel  fleet  is  captured  or  escaped,  and  the  tragedy  is  ended. 
One  of  the  grandest  events  in  war's  history  is  closed,  and  strange 
silence  reigns  as  the  gentle  breeze  bears  away  the  smoke  in  clouds 
and  wreaths,  and  the  bright  sunlight  again  gleams  on  the  smiling 
waters. 

Victory  and  fame  are  written  all  over  the  fleet  of  Farragut,  that 


90  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

now  gently  rocks  in  the  placid  waters  of  Mobile  Bay,  while  night 
folds  her  sable  mantle  alike  around  the  discomfited  rebel  forts  and 
navy  and  the  proud  victors  whose  lights  glimmer  on  both  sand 
and  sea. 

On  the  morning  of  the  yth  our  efforts  were  resumed,  a  portion 
of  the  war  vessels  deploying  on  the  shore  of  little  Dauphine  Island 
and  attacking  a  line  of  defenses  located  there.  •  Fort  Powell  also  re 
ceived  their  iron  respects,  and  soon  became  uninhabitable.  Its 
occupants,  seeming  to  feel  that  it  was  not  a  good  place  to  find  the 
"  last  ditch,"  retreated  to  Cedar  Point.  Before  they  left  they  laid 
and  lighted  a  fuse,  that  very  soon  after  their  departure  exploded 
like  an  earthquake,  and  left  the  fort  a  mass  of  ruins. 

SURRENDER    OF    FORT    GAINES. 

A  portion  of  the  fleet  had  also  joined  us  in  a  determined  attack 
on  Fort  Gaines,  into  which  shot  and  shell  fall  fast  and  thick,  all 
the  hours  of  the  day  and  night  being  made  hideous  by  their  shriek 
and  thunder.  The  dawn  of  morning  brought  no  hope  to  the  be- 
leagured  garrison,  who  reluctantly  gave  signal  of  surrender.  The 
terms  on  their  part  were  arranged  by  Col.  Anderson,  in  command, 
who  for  that  purpose  visited  the  flag-ship  under  a  flag  of  truce. 
The  capture  of  the  fort  was,  by  some  legerdemain,  deemed  a  na 
val  victory,  and  to  the  naval  officers  the  formal  surrender  was 
made.  The  infantry  were  moved  closely  to  the  fort  and  formed  in 
line — bronzed  veterans  with  their  battle-scared  banners.  The 
pride  of  a  soldier's  heart  reaches  its  acme  when  victory  touches 
palms  with  defeat.  The  garrison  consisted  mainly  of  the  New- 
Orleans  Cadets,  proud-spirited  scions  of  the  first  families  of  that 
proud  city — 

"  Aristugrats  und  game" 

They  had  comported  themselves  most  gallantly,  and,  marching 
out  before  us  with  soldierly  precision,  formed  and  dressed  their 
lines  as  if  on  parade.  Silently  and  sadly,  at  the  command,  they 
laid  on  the  ground  the  arms  they  had  so  defiantly  wielded.  There 
they  stood,  brave  men  but  defenseless  prisoners,  having  surren 
dered  to  their  "  mud-sill  "  conquerors.  The  officers  in  gray  surren- 


SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH   O.  V.  I.  91 

dered  their  swords  to  naval  officers  in  u  blue  and  gold,"  and  Fort 
Gaines  stood  silent  and  tenantless  in  the  cause  of  treason,  from  her 
blackened  battlements  floating  the  glorious  stripes  and  stars. 

CAPTURE  OF  FORT  MORGAN. 

Desperate  earnestness  gave  us  but  a  single  night  of  rest.  On 
the  following  morning  we  embarked  for  Mobile  Point,  landing  on 
its  north  shore  at  Navy  Cove,  situated  about  three  miles  east  and 
back  of  Fort  Morgan.  Gen.  Granger  having  requested  Col. 
Greer  to  deploy  his  best  regiment,  the  96th  received  the  marked 
compliment.  Col.  Brown  was  the  first  to  leap  on  shore,  and  com 
manded  his  regiment  to  follow  and  deploy.  It  was  quick  work, 
in  the  midst  of  which  Weaver,  of  company  C,  with  much  fore 
thought,  seized  an  ax  and  cut  the  telegraph  wires  running  to  Mo 
bile.  This  point  was  but  a  billow  of  sand  deposited  by  the 
waves,  across  which  our  line  extended  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from 
sea  to  sea.  Our  orders  were  to  move  forward  in  silence  until  we 
drew  fire  from  the  fort,  and,  supported  by  the  94th  Illinois  and 
6 yth  Indiana,  we  advanced,  in  a  sort  of  bewildered  expectancy,  to 
within  one  thousand  yards  of  the  frowning  pile,  when  they  salu 
ted  us  with  two  or  three  harmless,  shotted-guns.  Infantry  skirm 
ishers  now  treated  us  to  their  familiar  music,  and,  with  an  instinct 
born  of  experience,  we  proceeded  with  a  great  degree  of  earnest 
ness  to  form  our  protection,  which  was  done  by  digging  each  his 
"  gopher-hole  "  with  his  tin  plate.  Piling  the  beautiful  white  sand 
before  us,  we  were  all  soon  out  of  sight.  Night  coming  on,  the 
94th  Illinois  relieved  us,  and  before  morning  extended  our  "  go 
pher-holes  "  into  a  line  of  breastworks,  behind  which  we  felt  quite 
secure,  and  from  which  we  afterward  slowly  advanced  by  what  is 
termed  regular  approaches ;  that  is,  advancing  our  skirmish  line  as 
far  as  possible  each  night — forming  such  protection  as  we  could — 
and  strengthening  it  during  the  day.  By  repeating  this  measure 
we  had  pushed  back  their  infantry,  and  finally  established  our 
works  within  one  hundred  yards  of  the  fortress. 

Gradually  arousing  from  the  effects  of  the  events  of  the  8th,  the 
troops  in  the  fort  began  to  fire  upon  us  with  their  stolen  United 
States'  guns.  This  continued  to  increase  until  the  2ist,  when 


92  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    (X  V.   I. 

they  rained  shot  and  shell  in  unceasing  showers,  inflicting  sad 
havoc  on  our  men.  To  this  the  land  forces  paid  little  attention, 
being  engaged  in  preparation  for  events  soon  to  follow,  the  gun 
boats  only  complimenting  them  with  a  few  shells  in  the  afternoon, 
as  if  for  recreation.  The  infantry  had  constructed  substantial 
lines  of  sand-breastworks,  while  for  the  artillery  protection  was 
formed  by  sacks  filled  with  the  same  material,  one  piled  on  the 
other,  behind  which  the  guns  were  hidden,  the  mortars  being  set 
in  holes  dug  in  the  ground  in  such  way  as  to  be  invisible  to  the 
enemy.  It  was  a  fortress  deemed  impregnable  that  we  were  to  at 
tack,  and  nothing  that  skill  could  suggest  or  courage  dare  was 
omitted.  The  Captain  of  the  iyth  Ohio  Battery,  deeming  that  a 
certain  sally-port  was  a  vulnerable  point,  worked  unceasingly  un 
til  he  got  his  well-protected  pieces  planted  within  one  hundred 
yards,  on  which,  when  the  time  came,  he  made  his  mark  as  deep 
and  strong  as  could  be  done  by  powder  and  iron. 

The  occupants  of  the  fort  must  have  noted  the  approach  of 
their  day  of  doom,  and,  had  they  experienced  proper  contrition 
for  their  sins,  in  imagination,  at  least,  would  have 

"  Felt  the  halter  draw" 

but,  instead,  they  intensified  the  fire  of  the  2ist,  and  all  night 
long  poured  forth  an  unceasing  storm  of  missiles  that  seemed  to 
hunt  for  us  in  every  nook  and  corner.  But  when  the  morning 
dawned  our  gunboats  were  in  position,  and,  at  the  signal,  opened 
from  both  land  and  sea  a  cordon  of  artillery  and  mortars  that  all 
day  and  until  midnight  poured  into  their  midst  an  avalanche  of 
shot  and  shell.  It  was  a  circle  of  cruel  energy  pouring  fierce  de 
struction  into  the  midst  of  a  devoted  and  gallant  few.  How  any 
could  live  seems  almost  a  miracle,  and  to  stay  there,  defying  cer 
tain  doom  by  replying  with  their  guns,  required  courage  that  may 
well  be  pronounced  sublime.  But,  at  last,  it  became  to  them 
clearly  both  hopeless  and  useless.  Their  dead  and  wounded  lay 
thickly  around,  and  still  the  flashes  gleamed  from  port  and  embra 
sure,  followed  by  the  dreadful  death-messengers.  Flesh  and  blood 
could  not  face  the  ordeal,  and  the  lantern-signal  of  surrender  was 
displayed  above  the  fortress. 


SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O    V.  T.  93 

Along  our  lines  swiftly  flew  the  joyful  command,  "  cease  firing," 
and  instantly  arose  loud  shouts  and  cheers,  which,  with  the  bat 
tle-thunders  gradually  dying  away  in  the  distance,  soon  left  all 
silent  and  dark,  save  the  signal  light  that  both  pained  the  enemy 
and  pleased  ourselves. 

Strangely  enough,  no  one  appeared  with  a  flag  of  truce  to  ar 
range  terms  of  capitulation.  It  was  quickly  apparent  that  the 
rebels  in  the  fort,  who  had  been  sufficiently  faithless  to  desert 
their  government  and  fight  her  from  her  own  fort  with  her  own 
guns,  were  also  sufficiently  insolent  to  defy  the  usages  of  civilized 
warfare  by  this  emission.  A  little  attention  also  discovered  the 
fact  that  they  were,  during  the  cessation  of  battle  thus  obtained, 
straining  every  nerve  to  repair  damages  and  prepare  for  farther 
defense.  This  unsoldierly  ruse  keenly  stung  the  proud  souls  of 
the  Northmen,  who,  when  conquered,  knew  how  to  submit,  and, 
conquering,  knew  as  well  how  to  enforce  submission.  The  com 
mand  to  open  fire  was  responded  to,  both  by  the  vindictiveness  of 
powder  and  purpose,  and  into  their  midst  poured  such  a  cascade 
of  shot  and  shell  that  every  inch  of  the  wall  must  have  seemed  a 
Niagara,  and  all  the  inclosed  earth  a  whirlpool  of  destruction. 
The  citadel  in  the  centre,  a  stronghold  built  as  a  last  resort  of  de 
fense  in  case  an  enemy  should  gain  access  to  the  inside  of  the  fort, 
was  already  in  flames  and  the  magazines  in  peril  of  explosion. 
Should  the  latter  occur,  it  would  scarcely  leave  one  stone  upon 
another.  Defense  was  both  madness  and  murder.  For  this  they 
probably  had  little  concern,  but  their  suicidal  act  soon  became  so 
much  of  a  personal  matter,  that  in  about  twenty  minutes  they 
again  run  up  the  signal  of  surrender,  and  waved  it  lustily,  in  token 
of  an  earnest  and  anxious  desire  to  surrender  in  good  faith. 

Having  learned  something  not  only  of  the  courage  but  the 
pride  of  those  with  whom  they  had  to  deal,  there  was  now  no  de 
lay  in  the  appearance  of  an  officer  under  a  flag  of  truce,  who 
sought  the  commander  of  the  land  forces,  with  whom  terms  of 
capitulation  were  at  once  arranged. 

Gen.  Page  proved  to  be  the  commander  of  the  fort,  and,  dressed 
in  a  linen  coat  and  palm-leaf  hat,  without  any  insignia  of  his 
presumed  rank,  presented  himself  in  that  capacity.  Being  with- 


94  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.   I. 

out  his  sword  he  could  surrender  none,  an  exhibition  of  unsoldierly 
insolence  that  should  have  cost  him  dear,  but  was  resented  only  by  a 
blank  refusal  to  recognize  him  as  an  officer,  or  to  receive  from  him 
the  surrender  of  the  fort,  until  his  sword  was  produced  and  by  him 
presented  to  the  victor,  in  the  usual  military  form.  While  this  parley 
was  progressing,  his  sword  was  exhumed  from  its  burial  place  in 
the  sand  and  handed  him.  His  task-masters  were  cruel  to  de 
mand  such  humiliation  from  a  haughty  Southron,  but  they  were 
inexorable,  and  he  could  do  nothing  but  take  it  by  the  blade  and 
present  the  hilt  to  his  captor. 

The  96th  Ohio,  being  ordered  to  garrison  the  fort,  a  part  of 
them  were  marched  into  it  and  proceeded  to  extinguish  the  fires 
and  repair  other  damages  essential  to  the  safety  of  all.  when  it  was 
found  that,  after  the  surrender  and  under  protection  of  a  flag  of 
truce,  the  rebels  had  further  soiled  the  honor  dear  to  every  true 
soldier,  by  emptying  their  magazines  of  over  fifty  tons  of  powder 
into  the  cisterns,  and  spiking  all  the  cannon. 

Thus  was  completed  the  opening  of  the  entrance  into  Mobile 
Bay,  an  event  that  will  live  in  history  as  long  as  men  shall  prize 
heroic  daring. 

Our  little  regiment  was  destined  to  short  enjoyment  of  garrison 
duty,  not  having  yet  settled  down  in  camp,  when  they  were  relieved 
by  some  one  whose  commander  sought  more  ardently  than  ours  for 
ease  and  safety.  On  the  following  day  we  embarked  for  the  cape 
that  on  the  southwestern  shore  of  the  bay  projects  into  the  gulf, 
known  as  Cedar  or  Musquito  Point.  Effecting  a  landing,  we  im 
mediately  advanced,  each  man  carrying  a  spade  for  the  purpose  of 
intrenching.  The  rebel  troops  fell  back  without  accepting  battle. 
Pursuing  them  for  about  three  miles,  we  perceived  that  they  were 
extremely  fleet  of  foot.  Returning,  we  went  into  camp  near  the 
point,  finding,  as  the  result  of  our  adventure,  one  old  abandoned 
cannon.  This  place  presented  several  items  of  interest  that  will 
be  well  remembered  by  those  who  were  there.  It  was  very  nar 
row,  the  shore-end  for  a  mile  or  more  being  formed  of  shells, 
while  along  the  borders  innumerable  coves  enabled  us  to  indulge 
freely  in  luscious  oysters.  The  extreme  point  was  very  low,  but 
became  somewhat  higher  as  it  reached  the  main  land,  the  edges 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  95 

being  fringed  with  swamp-grass,  while  a  swamp  run  through  it 
nearly  to  the  sea.  In  consequence  of  these  circumstances,  we 
could  obtain  neither  vegetables  nor  fresh  water;  the  latter  from  the 
swamp  and  the  shallow  wells  we  d\ig  in  the  sand  being  so  in 
tensely  brackish  as  to  be  nearly  useless.  Besides  this,  the  locality 
furnished,  as  one  of  its  indigenous  products,  a  countless  horde  of 
the  largest,  most  perfectly-formed  and  improved  style  of  musqui- 
toes,  known  as  gallinippers,  and  one  of  the  greatest  scourges  of  fallen 
man.  The  perfection  of  their  outfit  for  business,  and  the  energy 
with  which  they  operated,  were  matters  of  much  concern  and 
fierce  discussion,  in  which  were  freely  quoted  "  choice  passages 
from  most  profane  history."  We  soon  fancied  that  we  must  have 
whipped  the  blood  all  out  of  the  rebels  who  had  escaped  to  this 
point  and  fled  before  us,  as  the  boarders  they  left  were  so  terribly 
fierce  and  hungry.  We  did  not,  after  all  our  toil  and  exposure, 
feel  that  we  had  much  blood  to  spare.  Everywhere  musquitoes 
filled  the  air  like  swarming  bees,  and  vigorously  prosecuted  the 
war  where  the  rebels  had  left  it.  For  every  one  filled  and  satisfied, 
a  hundred  followed  him  to  dine,  and  for  every  one  killed  a  million 
came  defiantly  singing  the  rebel  song  of  "  Dixie."  Musquito  bars 
and  smoke  of  camp-fires  were  only  slight  protection.  Ordinary 
clothing  was  readily  pierced  by  them.  Nothing  but  a  coat  of  mail 
could  be  gallinipper-proof.  The  men  on  picket  had  not  that 
to  wear,  and  all  night  and  day,  with  fixed  bayonets,  stood 
involuntarily  slapping,  in  quick  succession,  every  part  of  their 
bodies,  accompanied  by  profane  quotations  in  a  style  of  elocution 
entirely  faultless.  Maledictions  rest  thick  and  heavy  on  this  one 
of  the  frayed  edges  of  an  apparently  unfinished  creation.  Bay 
onets  being  less  repulsive,  we  were  delighted  with  orders  to  em 
bark  on  the  N.  W.  Thomas,  after  a  stay  of  five  stinging  days. 
Proceeding  to  Fort  Morgan  for  orders,  we  found  our  destination 
was  New-Orleans,  and  an  hour  from  our  arrival  found  us  on  our 
way. 

The  96th  Ohio  and  23d  Wisconsin,  with  a  part  of  the  iyth 
Ohio  Battery,  were  on  board  this  precious  old  steamer.  Fortu 
nately  there  were  no  horses,  as  this  entire  campaign  had  been 
made  without  them,  either  for  officers  or  artillery — a  circumstance 


96  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

that  proved  now  to  be  of  no  small  or  mean  importance.  This 
worthless  old  craft  had  been  continually  used  in  the  river-service 
for  fourteen  years.  Her  timbers  and  plank  were  rotten,  every 
part  being  crashed,  jammed  and  weather-beaten  ;  her  machinery 
all  loose  and  rickety.  Having  been  constructed  for  smooth  river 
navigation,  she  was  broad  and  nearly  flat  on  the  bottom.  This 
old  hulk  was  sure,  at  best,  to  upset  or  go  to  pieces,  or  go  to  pieces 
without  upsetting,  if  she  were  exposed  to  the  least  stress  of 
weather.  To  make  the  circumstances  more  horribly  complete,  she 
was  entirely  without  ballast,  there  being  nothing  in  the  hold.  Not 
only  the  men,  with  their  arms,  rations  and  all  their  camp  equip 
ments,  were  on  the  decks,  but  the  guns  of  the  battery  were  there 
also.  All  the  weight  was  on  top.  Her  old  boilers  had  not,  as  all 
salt-water  steamer  boilers  have,  an  appliance  for  removing  the 
salt  that  necessarily  condenses  in  them  from  the  ocean -water  used. 
By  dint  of  careful  managing  and  piloting  she  had  succeeded  in 
reaching  this  place  from  New-Orleans,  by  coasting  close  along  the 
north  shores  of  Lake  Pontchartrain  and  Mississippi  Sound — n  suc 
cess  few  men  would  have  scarcely  expected.  Sr.ch  was  the  boat, 
while  both  captain  and  pilot  were  accustomed  only  to  the  river, 
and  knew  nothing  whatever  of  the  waters  they  were  in.  They 
afterward  proved  to  be  easily  frightened  and  possessed  of  a  re 
markable  ability  for  doing  the  wrong  thing. 

Our  engineer,  on  whom  everything  depended,  had  formerly  ser 
ved  in  the  same  capacity  in  the  rebel  navy.  He  had  probably  ob 
tained  this  position  on  pretense  that  he  had  experienced  a  change 
of  heart — for  greenbacks — "  and  the  good  that  he  could  do. " 

The  whole  outfit  was  a  "  comedy  of  errors"  that  had  in  it  all 
the  elements  of  a  tragedy.  The  use  of  this  craft  for  this  purpose 
was  evidently  a  blunder.  The  troops  had  no  choice  but  to  sub 
mit  to  the  frightful  chances. 

Running  across  the  narrow  channel  through  which  Farragut  had 
passed,  we  landed  at  Fort  Gaines,  from  which  we  in  the  morning 
put  to  sea,  bearing  away  to  the  east  of  Dauphine  Islands  for 
Grant's  Pass.  In  attempting  to  sail  through  this  shallow  water  we, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  run  aground  and  lay  powerless,  waiting  for 
the  tide  to  come  in  and  lift  us  out  of  the  sand.  The  soldiers  hid 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  97 

their  vexation  and  whiled  away  the  time  by  diving  after  oysters  and 
spearing  fish  with  their  bayonets.  About  ten  in  the  morning,  as 
we  had  hoped,  the  incoming  tide  raised  our  rickety  old  con 
cern,  and  we  succeeded  in  reaching  Mississippi  Sound.  Our 
only  means  of  safety  now  consisted  in  bearing  to  the  north 
west  and  coasting  along  the  north  shore,  and  thence  by  way  of 
Lake  Pontchartrain  to  New  -  Orleans,  as  any  sane  man  would 
have  done ;  but  through  either  weakness  or  wickedness,  our  pilot 
directed  the  vessel  to  the  southwest,  and  soon  found  himself  entan 
gled  among  the  islands,  reefs  and  shoals  that  form  a  kind  of 
dividing  line  between  Mississippi  Sound  and  the  Gulf,  and  in  re 
gard  to  which  not  an  officer  on  board  had  the  least  knowledge.  It 
was  night,  and,  entangled  in  Chandeleur  Shoals,  we  were  lost, 
wandering  through  narrow  passages  without  a  chart  or  even  the 
cool  judgment  of  the  officers  of  the  boat  to  guide  it  or  give  us  the 
least  assurance.  The  pilot,  in  his  terror,  seemed  to  have  been  un 
able  to  steer  by  his  compass,  as  he  sailed  three  times  around  the 
lighthouse.  Peril  was  a  familiar  acquaintance  to  the  men  on  board, 
if  it  were  a  peril  against  which  they  could  battle,  but  here  they  were 
powerless.  Dangers  environed  them  at  every  point;  the  still 
water  below  waiting  for  its  victims.  The  leadsman  unceasingly 
reported  to  the  pilot  the  wide  varying  depths  of  water,  until  at 
last  he  sang  out,  "two-and-a-half,"  and  in  an  instant  we  struck  and 
were  hard  aground.  Nothing  was  left  but  to  cast  anchor  and  bide 
the  care  of  Providence  —  lost  by  night  in  a  net-work  of  shoals 
and  in  the  common  pathway  of  sudden  storms,  the  least  touch  of 
which  would  seal  our  doom.  It  was  an  occasion  for  last  good-bys, 
but  was  improved  by  the  men  in  selecting  each  his  plaftk  or  board, 
or  any  thing  that  could  serve  him  in  extremity,  and  lying  upon  it, 
waiting  for  the  expected  struggle  for  life. 

"  He  that  tempereth  the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb,"  tempered  it 
also  to  us.  All  night  the  Wcter,  like  a  mirror,  lay  beneath  us,  and 
all  the  following  perilous  day,  not  a  ripple  interfered  with  the  pro 
gress  of  our  cra/y  boat,  that  even  then  rocked  terribly  from  the 
most  cautious  movement  of  the  living  freight  that  crowded  every 
nook  and  corner  above  the  empty  hold. 

In  the  morning  the  tide  again   lifted  us  quietly  from  the  hard 


98  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

reef,  and,  by  steaming  to  the  north  for  the  mouth  of  Lake  Pont- 
chartrain,  further  exposure  to  peril  might  have  been  measurably 
avoided.  But  the  stupidity  that  associates  with  ignorance  and  fright 
led  the  officers  of  the  boat  to  steer  southwest  across  the  Gulf  for  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi  River.  It  was  a  wild  venture,  in  which 
we  nearly  all  day.  in  this  crazy  cockle-shell  that  would  not  bear  a 
puff  of  wind,  were  out  of  sight  of  land  In  many  a  soul  lingered 
the  spirit  of  thankfulness  to  Him  who  had  held  and  many  a 
prayerful  hope  that  He  would  continue  to  hold  us,  in  the  hollow 
of  His  hand.  Day  wore  into  night,  and  pall-like  darkness  gath 
ered  around  us.  Steaming  on,  our  pilot,  in  profound  stupidity, 
passed  the  most  eastern  mouth  of  the  river,  thus  prolonging  our 
exposure ;  but  about  midnight,  steering  into  the  second  mouth,  a 
feeling  of  security  came  over  all.  We  were  not  now  lost;  we  were 
not  now  in  open  sea  at  the  mercy  of  the  least  wind  and  wave. 
For  forty-eight  hours,  with  all  our  powers  strained  to  their  utmost 
tension,  none  had  rested  or  slept.  Now,  feeling  quite  secure,  there 
came  to  our  relief  that — 

"'Sweet  restorer,  balmly  sleep." 

Scattered  here  and  there  the  bronzed  veterans  of  many  battles  lay 
undisturbed  by  the  dull  surging  of  the  old  boat  as  she  moved  on. 
Even  the  guards,  seeing  no  enemy,  stood  listlessly  at  their  posts ; 
but  an  officer  of  the  23d  Wisconsin,  who  was  then  serving  as  offi 
cer  of  the  guard,  deeming  it  the  duty  of  a  soldier  to  do  his 
duty  here  just  as  well  as  if  he  were  muzzle  to  muzzle  with  the 
enemy,  did  not  omit  any  scrutiny.  About  two  o'clock  he  went 
below  and  discovered  that  the  boilers  were  red-hot  and  the  stokers 
piling  into  the  furnaces  dry  boards,  pine  knots,  pitch,  and  every 
available  kind  of  highly  inflammable  material.  In  an  instant,  per 
ceiving  the  frightful  danger,  he  threw  open  the  furnace  doors,  and 
rushing  into  the  engine  room  found  the  safety-valve  tied  firmlv 
down.  Cutting  this  loose,  it  flew  open  as  a  cannon  discharges  its 
shot,  and  the  steam  poured  out  in  a  hot,  hissing  volume.  Impetu 
ously  hurrying  to  the  engineer,  he  found  him  calmly  smoking  his 
pipe,  and  in  no  gentle  mood  inquiring  of  him  what  this  condition 
of  things  meant,  received  the  cool  reply  :  "  //  means  that  within 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  90 

five  minutes  I  had  intended  to  blow  up  this  boat  and  send  you  all  to 
hell!" 

This  vindictive  fiend  was  instantly  placed  in  arrest,  and  under 
guard  was  delivered  to  the  authorities.  For  prudential  reasons 
this  whole  fearful  plot  and  the  near  fulfillment  of  the  murderous 
design  was  kept  so  quiet  that  probably  many  who  were  on  board 
will  here  for  the  first  time  learn  the  facts.  Presuming  that  he  es 
caped  the  punishment  so  richly  merited,  it  is  sufficient  to  add  that 
had  the  truth  been  known  by  the  men  who  in  security  slept,  rely 
ing  upon  his  honor,  "  the  place  that  then  knew  him  would  sud 
denly  have  known  him  no  more  forever." 

Without  further  incident  to  swell  the  list  of  perils,  we  arrived  at 
New-Orleans,  going  on  shore  long  enough  for  cleaning  the  sedi 
ment  from  the  boilers.  This  revealed  their  true  condition  to  the 
crew,  who  instantly  deserted  when  they  saw  that  they  were  more 
than  half  full  of  salt.  A  new  crew  of  men  ignorant  of  the  facts 
being  quickly  obtained,  the  same  troops  again  submitted  their 
lives  to  the  turning  of  a  die  by  embarking  under  the  same  blunder 
ing  officers,  on  the  same  rickety  boat,  arriving  on  the  8th  at  Mor- 
ganza  Bend,  on  the  Mississippi,  near  the  mouth  of  Red  River. 
This  proved  to  be  rather  a  pleasant  and  healthy  camping-ground 
and  our  base  of  supplies  and  operations  for  some  time  to  come. 

On  the  i3th,  an  expedition  composed  of  the  96th  and  83d  Ohio, 
i3oth  Illinois,  two  companies  of  the  24th  Indiana,  and  a  detach 
ment  of  the  ist  Texas  and  2d  Louisiana  Cavalry,  under  command 
of  Col.  Moore,  moved  by  steamer  forty  miles  up  the  river  in  search 
of  rebels,  in  which  the  cavalry,  by  dint  of  much  exertion,  found 
what  they  believed  to  be  their  tracks,  returning  with  this  informa 
tion  on  the  i4th. 

On  the  1 8th,  an  expedition  consisting  of  the  96th  Ohio,  i3oth 
Illinois  and  6yth  Indiana,  with  two  pieces  of  artillery,  in  light 
marching  order,  left  camp  under  command  of  Col.  Brown,  of  the 
96th.  Moving  across  the  country  to  the  west,  we  arrived  on  the 
morning  of  the  igth  at  a  point  near  what  is  known  as  Morganza 
Ferry,  on  the  Atchafalaya  River.  This  mysterious  stream  rises  by 
one  of  its  branches  in  Red  River,  but  in  high  stages  of  the  Mis 
sissippi  bears  part  of  the  waters  of  the  latter  into  the  Gulf. 


100  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

When  the  Mississippi  is  low,  the  Atchafalaya,  with  turned  current, 
empties  its  own  waters  into  Red  River,  and  thence  by  the  Missis 
sippi  finds  its  outlet  to  the  sea. 

The  main  body  of  troops  lying  at  Morganza,  we  were  to  do  out 
post  duty  about  fifteen  miles  distant  to  the  west,  at  one  of  the  only 
two  points  at  which  it  was  for  a  long  distance  possible  to  ford  the 
sluggish  Atchafalaya.  This  point  was  also  rendered  important 
from  the  fact  that  through  the  low  and  marshy  land  a  road  had 
been  built  close  along  the  river  from  Simsport,  that  at  a  little  dis 
tance  from  the  stream  turned  at  a  right  angle  and  run  to  Morganza 
Bend.  At  this  angle  the  96th  Ohio  was  encamped.  An  outpost 
was  established  at  Simsport,  its  duty  being,  like  our  own,  to  pre 
vent  any  rebels  from  crossing  the  ford,  and  thus  keep  the  roads 
leading  to  our  main  camp  and  all  the  intervening  country  clear  of 
the  enemy. 

On  each  side  of  the  river,  which  varied  in  width  from  two  to 
three  hundred  yards,  a  substantial  levee  retained  the  waters  in  the 
channel  and  afforded  us  ready-made  breastworks,  and  the  same 
for  four  or  five  thousand  "  Johnnies  "  on  the  other  side.  Along 
this  levee  the  pickets  of  both  armies  were  posted,  being  every 
where  in  the  most  inviting  range  across  the  river. 

On  our  first  arrival  sharp  skirmishing  occurred,  but  this  gradu 
ally  died  away,  as  usual  when  soldiers  are  left  to  their  own  dis 
cretion  and  can  see  nothing  to  be  gained  by  its  continuance. 
Within  a  few  days  quite  a  degree  of  friendliness  had  arisen  be 
tween  us,  and  many  a  sprightly  conversation,  with  pertinent  inqui 
ries  and  pithy  replies,  took  place  across  the  dlent,  sluggish  waters. 
The  friendly  conversation  being  ended,  the  parties,  after  due 
warning  to  each  other,  would  exchange  shots,  and  by  every  ruse 
and  device  endeavor  to  gain  an  advantage  that  would  result 
effectively.  It  was  really  thrilling  to  listen  to  these  conversations, 
ending  with,  "  I'm  going  to  shoot,  hunt  your  hole,  Yank !  "  and  in 
reply,  "Johnnie,  look  out,  or  your  hide  won't  hold  water  a  min 
ute,"  and  then  the  whiz,  whiz,  of  the  mime-bullet!  Just  as  the 
day  glides  into  evening,  for  some  unknown  reason,  the  firing  of 
pickets  is  most  intense.  If  it  be  suppressed  during  the  day,  it 
is  almost  sure  then  to  occur  ;  at  least,  so  it  was  along  our  levee. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  101 

It  was  an  inviting  place  for  practice,  and  many  of  the  pickets 
on  both  sides,  would  select  a  position,  arrange  protection,  and  by 
every  possible  means  seek  to  show  their  ability  as  marksmen  by 
•*  fetching  their  man."  There  were  a  few  who,  either  because  of  their 
better  position  or  protection,  better  marksmanship,  or  possessing 
better  arms,  made  themselves  especially  noted,  among  whom  was 
one  Johnnie  who  fired,  day  after  day,  with  great  rapidity  and  pre 
cision,  from  behind  a  tree  so  bent  as  to  afford  good  rest  and  cover, 
and  close  by  the  levee.  The  Yankee  soldiers  whom  he  had  saluted 
with  his  leaden  card  were  chary  about  exposing  any  part  of  their 
person  within  range  of  his  rifle.  If  an  old  hat  were  raised  into 
view,  his  bullet  was  expected  to  go  through  or  uncomfortably  close 
to  it. 

One  bright,  calm  evening,  about  a  half-hour  before  sunset,  the 
rifle  music  resounded  all  along  the  levee,  and  scarcely  a  trace  of 
a  Yank  or  Johnnie  could  be  seen  from  either  shore.  A  puff  of 
smoke  and  the  whiz  of  a  bullet  soon  notified  the  inquirer  if  he 
afforded  the  least  showing.  It  chanced  that  Col.  Brown  was, 
at  this  time,  passing  along  his  line,  and  the  men  who  had  been, 
day  by  day,  peppering  away  at  the  rebel  marksman,  called  his  at 
tention  to  the  fact  that  he  was  frightfully  accurate,  sure  to  be 
ready  if  any  part  of  a  man  were  visible,  and  that  somehow  their 
bullets  failed  to  find  him  !  They  had  been  fired  at,  and  had  fired 
in  return,  until  it  had  become  monotonous.  The  Colonel  listened 
with  the  stolid  coolness  that  characterized  him  when  at  the 
head  of  his  regiment  in  battle.  He  was  a  man  of  few  words 
and  little  demonstration.  To  him  dress  parade  was  no  more 
than  the  most  appalling  danger,  save  that  his  earnestness  in  battle 
shone  through  his  clear  eyes  in  bright  glimmer-like  stars.  Taking 
the  soldier's  rifle,  the  Colonel  stepped  promptly  on  the  levee,  and 
stood  calm  as  a  statue  in  full  open  view.  It  seemed  an  act  of 
madness,  but  the  gallant  Johnnie  understood  it  as  it  was  intended, 
and  accepted  it  as  a  personal  challenge  by  stepping  promptly  from 
behind  his  cover  and  upon  the  open  levee.  Both  quickly  raised 
their  rifles  and  fired,  the  ball  of  Johnnie  making  an  alarmingly 
close  call  for  Col.  Brown,  who  coolly  handed  down  his  gun  to  be 
loaded,  while  his  adversary,  with  all  speed,  loaded  his.  He  evi- 


102  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

dently  was  as  expert  in  loading  as  in  firing,  for  he  obtained  foi 
the  second  time  the  first  fire,  after  taking  the  most  deliberate  aim  at 
the  living  statue.  The  bullet  had  just  passed  when  the  Colonel 
took  aim,  Johnnie  keeping  his  position,  busily  loading  his  piece. 
Neither  produced  any  effect.  It  was  steel  to  steel,  brave  men 
looking  straight  and  calm  into  the  face  of  death.  Intense  interest 
in  the  drama  stopped  firing  along  the  line,  awe  silencing  the  lips 
of  all.  Johnnie,  for  the  third  time,  gained  the  first  fire,  when 
Col.  Brown  leveled,  aimed  and  fired  at  his  adversary,  who  was 
again  loading.  The  bullet  hissed  across  the  river,  and  without 
any  sign  whatever  the  gallant  soldier  stepped  back  under  his 
cover,  and  the  strangely  dramatic  duel  was  ended.  If  it  be  true 
that  a  man  has  higher  regard  for  another  after  he  has  fought  with 
him,  Col.  Brown  no  doubt  felt  a  touch  of  sorrow  on  learning  that 
Johnnie's  rifle  was  never  more  heard,  and  the  station  at  the 
bent  tree  thereafter  was  vacant. 

Our  stay  at  this  point  was  brief.  Being  relieved  by  other  troops, 
on  the  28th,  the  regiment  started  back  to  Morganza  Bend. 
The  position  of  our  camp  was  such  that  the  infantry,  on  a  road 
cut  through  the  woods,  marched  away  unobserved,  but  the  train, 
sonsisting  of  a  dozen  wagons,  was  compelled  to  follow  the  road 
that  lay  beside  the  river  for  nearly  two  miles.  This  was  an  occa 
sion  not  to  be  omitted,  and,  just  as  we  had  got  into  the  road,  the 
Johnnies  opened  on  us  with  a  volley  of  musketry.  It  was  aston 
ishing  how,  on  the  instant,  every  teamster's  saddle  was  emptied. 
It  is  equally  strange  as  true,  that  mule-driving,  like  conscience, 
powerfully  tends  to  "  make  cowards  of  us  all,"  which  accounts  for 
the  promptness  of  their  action.  A  soldier  without  arms  always 
feels  insecure,  and  is  ever  ready  to  seek  safety  in  the  next  availa 
ble  method  after  fighting  is  impossible.  Thus  unarmed,  and  con 
tinually  vexed,  perplexed  and  demoralized  by  the  chronic  per- 
verseness  of  their  teams,  the  drivers  could  not  be  expected  to  be 
relied  upon  in  the  hour  of  danger.  The  results  usually  were  in 
accordance  with  these  facts,  of  which  hasty  dismounting  was 
the  first  step.  A  stampede  could  scarcely  have  failed,  had  not 
Commissary-Sergeant  Bunker,  under  whose  charge  they  were  mov 
ing,  shown  the  greatest  coolness  and  power  of  command.  Calmly 


SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  103 

riding  along  the  line,  an  inviting  mark  to  which  the  Johnnies  paid 
continuous  attention,  he  advised,  directed  and  ordered,  in  such  a 
kind  but  earnest  manner,  that,  reassured,  both  by  his  precept  and 
example,  some  of  the  drivers  took  to  their  saddles  under  fire,  while 
others  walked,  but  all  hung  to  their  lines,  and,  without  immoder 
ate  haste,  drove  safely  out  of  reach  of  the  disappointed  marksmen. 

Our  return  to  the  camp  of  the  Thirteenth  Corps  at  Morganza 
Bend  was  almost  immediately  followed  by  orders  to  prepare  to 
move  to  an  unknown  destination.  The  preparations  being  pushed 
forward  with  all  possible  despatch,  the  ist  of  November  found  all 
in  readiness,  with  a  fleet  of  boats  lying  at  the  wharf  awaiting  us. 
The  rest  and  pastime  we  had  here  enjoyed,  with  an  abundance  of 
a  soldier's  luxuries,  were  to  be  now  abandoned,  and,  as  if  this  were 
not  enough  to  bear,  a  fierce  storm  of  wind  and  rain  added  a  world 
of  discomforts  to  our  petty  sorrows.  At  the  command,  "forward," 
we  marched  to  our  various  boats,  where  the  climax  was  added  to 
our  calamities ;  there  lay,  in  all  her  frightful  rottenness,  the  same 
old  rickety  boat,  N.  W.  Thomas,  on  which  we  had  periled  our 
lives  every  inch  of  the  way  in  the  trip  from  Fort  Morgan  to  this 
point ;  and  still  commanded  by  the  same  hysterical,  useless  carica 
ture  of  a  captain.  To  his  tender  mercies  the  96th  Ohio  was  again 
assigned.  There  was  not  a  plank,  or  timber,  joint  of  wood  or 
iron,  that  we  had  not  tested  and  found  wanting.  Such  treatment 
seemed  to  be  without  cause  or  provocation,  and  in  cold  blood 
offering  a  challenge  to  grim  death  ;  but,  reluctantly  and  with 
much  murmuring,  of  a  kind  more  earnest  and  emphatic  than  polite 
or  pious,  we  obeyed  orders  by  marching  on  board.  Discipline 
only  will  cause  a  body  of  armed  men  to  stake  their  lives  on  loaded 
dice  while  they  are  to  be  silent  and  powerless  spectators  to  the 
game. 

The  situation  once  accepted,  the  possible  issues  were  soon  for- 
gotton,  as  the  fleet  of  boats,  with  banners  and  music,  took  their 
way  up  the  Mississippi,  presenting  to  view 

"  A  scene  of  beauty 

That  must  be  a  joy  forever.'' 

The  philosophy  that,  at  last,  in  spite  of  all  our  natural  desires  to 


104  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

take  care  for  the  morrow,  gets  possession  of  a  soldier's  soul  is, 
that  it  is  idle  to  bother  about  that  which  cannot  be  avoided,  and 
which  may  turn  out  right  after  all.  So  we  put  aside  our  cares, 
and  resorted  to  every  available  form  of  amusement.  The  trip  was 
long  and  rendered  especially  tedious  by  the  rain  that  steadily  con 
tinued,  blotting  out  the  sense  of  cheer  that  we  might  otherwise 
have  obtained  from  the  passing  panorama  of  the  shores.  One 
dismal  day  we  crowded  the  interior  of  the  old  boat,  playing  chess 
and  euchre,  mingled  with  story  and  song,  when  we  were  thrilled 
by  a  heavy,  dull,  grating  sound.  The  deck  lifted  to  a  sharp  angle  *> 
every  joint  of  the  old  hulk  of  a  boat  yawned,  and  its  timbers 
creaked  with  some  such  a  sound  as  a  volley  of  musketry.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  conceive  of  a  more  rapid  and  effectual  upset 
ting  of  things  in  general — spoiled  games  of  chess  and  euchre,  and 
boat  furniture  scattered  promiscuously  around — as  everybody 
rushed  out  to  inquire  the  cause  of  the  difficulty,  and  find,  if  possi 
ble,  some  mode  of  escape.  The  only  trouble  was,  the  old  boat 
had  run  upon  a  floating  tree,  so  as  to  lift  her  bow  far  out  of  the 
water.  There  we  hung  for  a  few  moments,  not  knowing  what 
next  might  turn  up,  when,  like  a  huge  mud-turtle,  she  careened  to 
one  side,  rocked  a  little,  and  slid  back  off  of  the  log,  just  as  if  she 
were  used  to  it  and  her  loose  joints  were  intended  to  enable  her 
to  climb  up  and  slide  off  trees  as  a  part  of  her  business.  With  one 
wheel  smashed,  the  old  craft  struggling  up  the  stream,  the  amuse 
ments  in  the  cabin  were  promptly  resumed. 

On  the  8th  the  monotony  was  broken  in  upon  by  election-day, 
in  which  the  96th  gave  for  President  Lincoln  244,  and  McClellan 
20  votes.  On  the  same  day  \ve  also  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  White 
River,  which  proved  to  be  our  place  of  winter  quarters. 

The  following  general  order  requires  no  comment : 

HEADQUARTERS  4TH  DIVISION,      ) 

T3TH  ARMY  CORPS, 
ALEXANDRIA,  LA  ,  April  17,  1864.  ) 

SOLDIERS  OF  THE  4TH  DIVISION  :  Appreciating  the  fortitude 
and  gallantry  exhibited  by  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  this  com 
mand,  during  this,  as  well  as  other,  arduous  campaigns,  the  Com- 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH     O.    V.   I.  105 

mandant  of  the  Division  thinks  proper  to  express  to  you  his 
admiration  of  your  conduct  in  every  emergency  and  upon  every 
occasion.  Your  marches  have  been  unexampled  in  the* history  of 
the  war;  you  have  endured  privations  and  hardships  without  a 
murmur ;  your  conduct  upon  the  march  has  been  soldier-like  and 
gentlemanly;  your  gallantry  upon  the  field  has  been  worthy  of  the 
heroes  of  Vicksburg  and  the  Armies  of  the  Great  West.  I  thank 
vou,  in  the  name  of  our  common  country,  for  the  heroism  you 
have  displayed,  and,  although  we  mourn  the  loss  of  many  brave 
comrades,  you  have  the  consolation  of  knowing  that  you  all  per 
formed  your  duty.  Let  the  bloody  ground  of  Mansfield  speak  of 
your  valor,  and  the  loss  of  the  enemy  testify  of  the  severity  of  the 
conflict. 

Your  late  Commander — the  gallant  Ransom — thus  speaks  of 
you :  "  I  have  the  same  confidence  in  the  4th  Division  that  I  had 
before  the  unfortunate  battle  of  the  8th  They  all  did  nobly;  and 
their  list  of  killed  and  wounded  bears  evidence  to  the  obstinacy 
with  which  they  resisted  the  overwhelming  force  of  the  enemy. 
With  you  I  mourn  the  loss  of  many  of  our  gallant  comrades,  and 
desire  to  express  my  acknowledgments  to  them  all,  as  they  are 
all  entitled  to  commendation  ;  and  I  have  the  satisfaction  of  know 
ing  they  performed  their  whole  duty."  Let  us  continue  to  do  our 
whole  duty,  until  every  hill-top  and  every  plain  of  our  country  is 
bedecked  with  the  victorious  banners  of  the  Union. 

[Signed]  W.  J.  LANDRUM, 

Col.  i<)t/i  Ky.,  Commanding  Division. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

WHITE    RIVER    TO    KENNERVILLE. 

Our  camp  was  located  on  a  small  tract  of  land  lying  between 
White  and  Arkansas  Rivers,  both  of  which  empty  into  the  Missis 
sippi  from  the  west.  An  artificial  canal  termed  a  cut-off,  at  some 
distance  from  and  nearly  parallel  with  the  Mississippi,  connects 
these  two  rivers  and  forms  of  the  interspace  a  species  of  island. 
Our  camp,  situated  on  this  tract  near  the"  junction  of  the  Missis 
sippi  and  White  Rivers,  was  low  ground,  protected  from  their 
waters  by  levees,  and  hence  was  not  highly  susceptible  of  drain 
age.  The  rain,  that  had  continued  from  the  time  of  our  em 
barkation,  poured  down  as  if  the  very  heavens  were  opened, 
drenching  every  thread  that  covered  us  as  we  disembarked  and 
established  ourselves  on  the  first  available  site.  The  mud  soon 
became  ankle-deep ;  the  rain  put  out  our  fires,  and  in  our  poorly- 
erected  pup-tents,  wet,  muddy  and  disgusted,  we  crowded  closely 
together  to  rest,  and,  if  possible,  to  sleep  and  dream  of  better 
times  in  store. 

The  fury  of  the  storm  being  soon  spent,  we  had  opportunity  to 
cast  about  us,  and  found  near  at  hand  the  quarters  of  a  regiment 
that  had  camped  here  before  us,  consisting  of  tolerably  well-con 
structed  wooden-huts,  which  we  at  once  took  possession  of.  No 
thrifty  housewife  ever  set  more  diligentlv  about  house-cleaning 
and  that  general  upheaving  that  for  the  time  makes  the  best  regu 
lated  home  a  chaos,  than  did  our  men  in  putting  the  newly-found 
village  in  order.  Chimneys  were  built  of  sticks  and  mud,  and  by 
dint  of  foraging  boards  were  supplied  for  floors ;  and  here  and 
there  appeared  a  specimen  of  furniture,  usually  crippled,  but  still 
furniture. 

Our  duty  amounted  to  nothing,  being  purely  routine.  Rations 
were  plenty,  the  weather  pleasant,  and  we  were,  for  the  time, 

"  O'er  all  the  ills  of  life  victorious" 
To  this  routine  duty  the  most  important  variation  was  a  consol- 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I.  107 

idation  of  some  of  the  regiments  that  had,  by  continual  losses, 
been  so  reduced  in  numbers  as  to  make  this  step  necessary.  This 
was  far  from  a  simple  and  painless  proceeding.  Each  regiment  had 
its  own  name  and  history.  The  men  had  grown  familiar  to  each 
other,  and  a  kind  of  sacred  tie  bound  them  together.  Their  own 
dead  comrades  were  dear  as  life  to  those  who  had,  by  pressing 
closer  together,  closed  up  the  ranks  when  they  fell.  To  consoli 
date  with  another,  one  regiment  must  lose  its  name,  and  its  history- 
be  rendered  incomplete;  comrades  must  mingle  with  strangers  in 
another  command,  partly  under  other  commanders,  and  possibly 
with  those  whose  name  and  history  they  did  not  admire.  But 
most  painful  of  all  was  the  parting  with  the  colors  under  which 
they  had  marched  and  fought,  and  around  which  they  had  rallied  in 
the  crimson  tide  of  carnage.  Soiled,  tattered  and  riddled  with 
shot,  its  sacred  fragments  still  bore  portions  of  the  names  of  bat 
tles  on  which  their  glcry  rested.  Its  surrender  always  cost  heart- 
pangs  and  tears —  tears  from  the  eyes  of  hardy  veterans  that 
knew  no  fear.  These  combinations  seldom  failed  to  result  in  bit 
ter  animosities.  But  the  necessity  for  consolidation  existed.  To 
consult  the  wishes  of  different  regiments  as  to  their  choice  was  no 
doubt  impracticable,  and  the  miss-matings  that  resulted  were  in 
no  wise  conducive  to  either  comfort  or  effectiveness.  Among  the 
many  others,  the  p6th  Ohio  was  reduced  to  such  numbers  that  in 
justice  it  could  be  no  longer  continued  as  a  regiment,  and  was, 
very  happily,  made  an  exception  to  the  general  rule,  and  saved 
this  painful  ordeal.  The  consolidations  were  effected  under  orders 
from  Maj.  Gen.  J.  J.  Reynolds,  in  command  of  the  Department  of 
the  Gulf.  No  more  elegant  compliment  could  be  bestowed  on 
any  command  than  that  received  from  this  officer,  who  sent  for 
Col.  Brown  and  said  to  him  : 

"  Colonel.  I  have  sent  for  you  for  the  purpose  of  consulting  you 
in  regard  to  the  consolidation  of  the  regiments  of  this  command. 
I  have  learned  from  your  immediate  commander,  Gen.  McGinnis, 
and  from  other  sources,  that  you  have  a  fine  body  of  men,  well- 
behaved  both  in  and  out  of  camp,  on  the  march  and  in  battle.  I 
know  something  of  its  history,  and  feel  that  it  is  due  to  you  and 
your  officers  that  your  wishes  be  consulted.  In  consideration  of 


108  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   I. 

these  facts,  I  desire  that  you  choose  from  among  the  Ohio  regi 
ments  present  the  one  that  it  will  be  most  agreeable  for  you  and 
your  men  to  associate  with." 

This  unexpected  proposition  found  the  Colonel  unprepared  for 
an  immediate  answer.  With  the  instincts  of  a  brave  campaigner 
he  shrunk  from  abandoning  the  individual  history  of  his  regiment 
and  its  mingling  with  strangers,  and  expressed  a  strong  desire  to 
preserve  intact,  in  some  way,  its  organization  and  its  colors.  At 
n  subsequent  interview,  the  General  proposed  the  consolidation  of 
the  regiment  into  a  battalion  as  a  means  of  effecting  this  object. 
"  It  has  but  one  disadvantage,"  said  he,  "  and  that  is,  it  will  be  a 
perpetual  barrier  to  your  promotion  to  the  full  rank  of  Colonel." 
The  choice  was  then  fairly  in  the  hands  of  Lieut.-Col.  Brown,  who 
instantly  answered  :  "  General,  1  willingly  forego  the  coveted  pro 
motion  for  the  privilege  of  commanding  to  the  end  the  men  who 
have  with  me  shared  every  hardship  and  dared  every  danger." 

To  no  other  regiment  in  the  command  was  this  favor  accorded. 
Intensely  gratified  with  this  appreciation  of  their  merits  as  soldiers 
and  gentlemen,  the  96th  Ohio  became  a  battalion  of  five  com 
panies.  Companies  A  and  F  of  the  regiment  formed  Company  A 
of  the  battalion  ;  D,  I  and  C  formed  Company  B ;  B,  E  and  K 
formed  Company  C;  G  and  H  formed  Company  D;  Company  E 
of  the  battalion  being  composed  of  seventy-five  men,  who  were 
entirely  acceptable  to  us.  They  were  good  and  genial  fellows,  who 
had  been  recruited  and  brought  to  the  front  by  Capt.  E.  B. 
Campbell,  who  was  both  a  gentleman  and  a  soldier,  the  evidence 
of  the  latter  being  apparent  in  his  battle-scars.  Thus  time 
passed  by  until  the  5th  of  February,  1865,  when  orders  were 
received  and  preparations  made  for  our  participating  in  an 
other  campaign  in  the  romancer's  southern  sunny  clime.  Those 
who  were  left  behind  cheered  lustily  as  we  glided  into  the  stream, 
their  cheers  expressing  both  "  farewell,"  "  farewell,"  and  "  we  are 
very,  very  happy  that  we  are  not  going  '  " 

Day  and  night  gliding  listlessly  along,  the  only  incident  of  this 
trip  that  relieved  its  monotony  occurred  opposite  Port  Hudson.  It 
was  February  the  idth,  damp  and  cold.  Men  huddled  around  the 
boilers  and  every  available  spot  from  which  heat  could  be  derived, 


SERVICES    OF    THF    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   I.  i  09 

to  drv  their  clothes  and  warm  their  bodies,  chilled  to  the  very 
marrow.  Our  experience  in  navigation  had  thoroughly  impressed 
every  one  with  its  perils;  still  the  luxury  of  heat  was  so  inviting 
that  men  not  only  sat  closely  around  the  boilers,  but  many  had  act 
ually  found  places  over  them,  where,  lying  down,  they  dreamed 
of  discomforts  past,  and  reveled  in  imaginary  warm  rooms 
at  home.  This  was  too  sweet  to  last,  for  some  one,  from  pure 
mischievousness,  had  moved  forward  the  weight  on  the  safety- 
valve  lever,  so  as  to  lessen  the  'pressure  on  the  valve,  and 
when  the  steam  had  acquired  sufficient  intensity  it  threw  open  the 
valve  and  rushed  out  with  a  sound  that  would  have  awakened  the 
dead,  filling  the  space  with  hot  vapor.  Roused  by  the  hideous 
noise  and  deluged  by  a  suffocating  cloud,  there  was  suddenly 
exhibited  remarkable  feats  of  jumping,  tumbling,  sliding,  and,  in 
fact,  every  conceivable  means  of  locomotion,  accompanied  by  a 
volley  of  sulphurous  inquiries  as  to  what  could  be  the  matter  in 
that  place  supposed  to  be  "below." 

The  unmerciful  chilling  rain  haunted  us  all  the  way,  and  pelted 
us  as  we  disembarked  on  the  8th  at  Kennerville,  twelve  miles  from 
New-Orleans.  There  we  went  into  camp,  for  the  purpose  of  waiting 
for  Gulf  steamers  to  bear  us  to  the  scenes  of  our  future  campaigning. 

To  be  cold,  wet  arid  weary,  conduces  strongly  to  wickedness, 
and  in  no  amiable  mood  we  withdrew  from  the  world  and  its  cruel 
storms  to  the  interior  of  our  little  tents.  But  the  cold  north  wind 
slashed  the  rain  about  in  ugly  gusts  until  after  midnight,  when  it 
suddenly  intensified  into  a  fury  that  heeded  neither  rank  nor 
condition.  With  one  swoop  of  the  hurricane  and  what  verily 
seemed  the  upsetting  of  all  the  clouds,  every  tent  was  torn  loose, 
and  everything  in  the  camp  completely  afloat.  The  darkness  was 
indescribably  perfect  and  our  destitution  complete.  Tents  and 
blankets,  floating  in  the  gullies,  flitted  about  like  specters,  and  any 
effort  to  recover  them  involved  only  stumbling  from  a  hillock  into 
waters  waist  deep,  from  which  the  explorer  would  wade  or  crawl 
to  another  knoll,  on  which  he  would  perch  quite  satisfied  with 
active  naval  service.  Thus  was  the  regiment  deployed  at  will, 
and  a  universal  experience  of  similar  results  led  quickly  to  a  uni 
versal  appreciation  of  the  situation. 


110  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O,    V.    I. 

Feeling  that  to  cry  over  "  spilt  milk  "  was  useless,  and  having 
proven  that  their  goods  and  effects  were  effectually  "  spilled," 
"the  boys,"  despite  the  darkness,  converted  it  into  a  marine  holi 
day.  Their  familiarity  with  boat  service  placed  them  in  possession 
of  what  was  then  a  rich  treasure,  as  one  sang  out,  with  the  intona 
tion  peculiar  to  boatmen,  "  boats  adrift ;  "  and  others  far  away 
on  other  knolls  shouted  back,  "  stop  her,  stop  her !  "  Adding  to 
the  mockery,  another  hove  the  lead,  singing  out,  "  n-i-n-e  a-n-a- 
ha'f — e-i-g-h-t  feet" — "  n-o  b-o-t-'om," — "  t-w-o  a-n-a-ha'f — t-w-o 
feet,"  amid  orders  to  "stop  her,"  "helm  hard-a-port,"  "back  her, 
back  her;"  while  others,  trying  to  feel  their  way  to  the  levee, 
would  splash  into  a  gully  and  shout  in  the  same  drawl,  "  n-o 
b-o-t-'om."  It  had  been  the  custom  of  the  Commissary,  on  oc 
casions  of  extreme  urgency,  to  issue  a  small  ration  of  whisky,  and, 
perceiving  the  extreme  fitness  of  things,  finally  arose  the  shout: 
"  Bunker,  time  for  whisky!  " 

Thus  wore  the  night  away,  the  morning  finding  us  perched 
around  promiscuously  in  such  plight  as  can  never  be  forgotten  by 
those  who  that  night  studied  navigation  in  their  camp.  This  epi 
sode  passing  by  in  a  few  days,  our  camp  became  rather  pleasant 
and  our  situation  quite  enjoyable.  Rations  were  plenty  and  duty 
light,  two  conditions  highly  favorable  both  to  comfort  and  recu 
peration. 

Each  day  with  its  routine  was  much  like  every  other,  affording 
abundance  of  opportunity  for  writing  letters  to  the  dear  ones  far 
away  at.  home. 

A  calamity  not  altogether  new,  but  to  us  exceedingly  painful, 
now  occurred.  Small-pox  presented  its  ghastly  visage  among  us, 
and  when  the  boats  arrived  for  us  there  were  quite  a  number  of 
our  comrades  suffering  from  the  terrible  disorder,  no  one  knowing 
whether  he  were  or  were  not  affected,  or  were  or  not  soon  to  yield 
to  its  pestilential  touch. 

Military  necessity  knows  no  law  but  prompt  obedience,  and, 
placing  our  sick  comrades  in  "  pup-tents,"  as  well  arranged  as  we 
could  make  them  in  elevated,  open  positions,  and  leaving  rations 
and  attendants  in  this  lone  spot,  over  which  the  death-angel  spread 
his  dark  wings,  on  the  8th  we  waved  them  an  adieu  as  we  steamed 


SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O     V.  I.  Ill 

away  down  the  Mississippi  on  the  captured  blockade  runner  Kate 
Dale.  It  may  not  be  amiss  to  observe  that  these  victims  to  a  ter 
rible  disease,  thus  left  to  a  most  simple  care,  but  with  an  unre 
stricted  amount  of  fresh  air,  all  recovered. 


CHAPTER  X. 


CAPTURE  OF  SPANISH    FORT   AND  FORT   BLAKELY. 

A  very  pleasant  sail  over  nearly  the  same  route  on  which  we 
had  suffered  such  terrible  exposure  on  the  old.  rickety  N.  W. 
Thomas,  with  her  shabby  officers  and  assassin-souled  engineer, 
brought  us  on  the  1 8th  to 'the  very  spot  at  which  we  had  before 
embarked — the  camp  which  we  formed  being  near  Fort  Morgan, 
on  the  sandy,  barren  Mobile  Point. 

Here  we  were  delayed  a  month,  the  time  being  occupied  in 
completing  the  details  of  preparations  for  the  rapture  of  the 
fortresses  that,  at  various  points  on  Mobile  bay,  constituted  the 
only  remaining  rebel  strongholds  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

The  troops  collected  here  were  inspected  by  Maj.-Gen.  Oster- 
haus,  the  96th  Ohio  enjoying  the  satisfaction  of  receiving  the. 
compliment  expressed  in  the  following  "General  Order  "by  the 
commander  of  the  brigade  : 

HEADQUARTERS  IST  BRIGADE,  31)  DIVISION,  ) 

i3TH  ARMY  CORPS, 
MOBILE  POINT,  ALA.,  March  8th,  1865.  \ 

General  Orders  No.  6. 

At  the  inspection  of  the  troops  of  this  brigade,  made  this  day 
bv  Maj.-Gen.  Osterhaus,  the  brigade  commander  noticed  with 
pride  and  satisfaction  the  neat  and  soldierly  appearance  of  the  t;6th 
Ohio  Vols.,  Lt.-Col.  Brown  commanding,  and  the  excellent  condi 
tion  of  their  arms,  and  he  takes  this  opportunity  of  complimenting 
that  regiment,  and  expressing  the  hope  that  the  other  regiments  of 
the  command  will  endeavor  to  emulate  their  example.  *  *  * 

By  order  of 

COLONEL  D.  P.  GREEK. 

H.  P.  AYRES.  ist.  Lieut.  nth  ///.  and  A.  A.  A.  G. 

The  command  of  the  expedition  was  entrusted  to  that  gallant 
and  experienced  officer,  Maj.-Gen.  E.  R.  S.  Canby.  The  troops 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  1 13 

that  had  formerly  composed  the  Thirteenth  Army  Corps,  were 
placed  under  the  leadership  of  (Jen.  (i ranger.  Our  division  was 
commanded  bv  (ien.  Burton:  the  brigade  to  which  the  <)6th  Ohio 
belonged,  by  Col.  I).  P.  C.reer,  yyth  Illinois. 

The  light  snow-white  sand,  that  with  every  breath  of  wind 
filled  not  only  the  air  but  our  eyes  and  mouths  ;  the  inroads  of  the 
musquitoes  that  not  only  sung  peans  of  joy,  but  seemed  to  feel 
that  our  presence  rendered 

"December  as  pleasant  as  May ;" 

and  the  anxiety  arising  from  the  prospect  of  an  arduous  campaign 
just  before  us;  all  conspired  to  render  our  final  reveille  at  4 
o'clock,  on  the  morning  of  the  141)1  of  March,  really  enjoyable. 
Before  the  sun  arose  the  troops  were  in  motion,  and  the  long  train 
of  wagons  toiling  slowly  through  the  sand.  Our  road,  for  some 
distance,  lay  closely  along  the  south  shore  of  Mobile  Point.  I-ong 
columns  of  men,  with  all  the  accouterments  of  battle,  marching  in 
solemn  silence,  interspersed  with  cannon  and  caisson  ;  the  bright 
waters  of  the  Gulf  whispering  along  the  beach  ;  the  soft  sunlight 
of  a  cloudless  sky  alike  reflected  from  the  waters  and  the  trappings 
of  war — 

"  '  Twere  worth  ten  years  of  peaceful  life. 
One  glance  at  their  array."" 

This  beautiful  vision  proved  exceedingly  brief.  A  general 
change  in  the  composition  of  Mother  Earth  soon  became  appa 
rent.  On  the  evening  of  the  second  day  we  encountered  one  of 
those  southern  swamps  that,  like  paradise  and  purgatory,  defy 
description.  It  seemed  to  consist  of  the  most  villainous  elements, 
mingled  writh  an  unfathomable  bed  of  quicksand,  saturated  with 
water,  and  overspread  by  a  feeble  imitation  of  terra  finna.  The 
passage  of  half  a  dozen  wagons  over  the  road  knocked  the  bottom 
entirely  out  of  it,  and,  in  attempting  to  find  passage,  there  was  in 
a  few  minutes  presented  before  us,  to  right,  to  left,  a  fleet  of 
wagons  sunk  to  the  axles,  and  a  multitude  of  mule-teams  that 
neither  coaxing,  whipping  nor  profanity  could  induce  even  to  try 
to  draw  a  pound.  Every  movement  sunk  them  still  deeper  into 


114  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    (X  V.  I. 

the  treacherous  mixture  in  which  they  were  mired  almost  to  their 
ears.  An  army  of  soldiers  soon  gathered  around  this  thoroughly- 
halted  land-fleet,  and  worked  with  willing  hands  until  late  in  the 
night  in  unloading  the  wagons,  exhuming  the  mules,  and  trans 
porting  all  by  force  of  human  muscle  to  the  other  side  of  this 
fragment  of  the  "slough  of  despond." 

Finding  a  dry  knoll  we  camped  for  the  night,  to  find  in  the 
morning  that  we  had  just  entered  on  a  "sea  of  troubles,"  as  the 
whole  army  spent  the  day  in  constructing  a  corduroy  road,  that 
hung  between  floating  and  sinking,  and  over  which  the  train 
moved  three  short  but  wearisome  miles,  when,  both  exhausted 
and  disgusted,  we  fairly  went  to  roost  for  the  night.  It  seemed  as 
though  the  sun  would  never  rise  on  this  pandemonium.  Why  it 
should  rise  on  such  a  place  no  man  of  us  could  conceive,  for 
its  light  must  be  utterly  wasted.  Why  the  rebels  were  fighting  for 
this  sm7j  was  an  oft-propounded  conundrum,  only  equaled  by  the 
inquiry  what  we  wanted  of  it  ourselves,  as  its  morasses,  appa 
rently  interminable  in  breadth  and  depth,  were  covered  with  pines 
that  were  only  valuable  in  making  it  more  pittilessly  horrible. 
Another  day  was  exhausted  in  bridging  and  wading,  prying,  whip 
ping  and  pulling,  accompanied  by  the  most  lofty  feats  of  verbal 
gymnastics  at  things  both  general  and  special,  singular  and  plural, 
from  the  universe  to  the  atom. 

In  the  evening  we  were  made  as  happy  as  were  our  predecessors 
in  sorrow,  the  children  of  Israel,  when  the  Red  Sea  lay  behind 
them,  *for,  striking  into  comparatively  dry  land,  we  found  a 
fair  road  that  lay  for  miles  through  camps  of  turpentine  trees. 
Our  advance  was  made  in  a  manner  not  set  down  in  the  tactics, 
the  troops  being  deployed  in  single  file  along  the  road,  marching 
on  either  side  of  the  wagon-train.  The  turpentine  trees  were 
rovered  on  their  tapped  surfaces  with  clear  resin,  and  on  their 
bodies  the  cruder  gum.  The  accumulations  of  many  years  hung 
in  knots  and  streaks  and  shreds  to  their  very  tops.  We  were  not 
interested  in  the  turpentine  trade,  either  present  or  prospective, 
and  these  trees  were  lighted  by  men  who  rode  along  for  that  pur 
pose.  The  highly  combustible  material  would  quickly  become  a 
shimmering  cone  of  flame,  and  when  thousands  of  these  mammoth 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I  115 

torches  illumined  our  pathway,  sending  their  volumes  of  smoky 
clouds  curling  above  us  to  the  skies,  the  haughtiest  of  earth's  kings 
and  queens  might  have  envied  us  a  grander  pageant  than  had  ever 
shone  on  the  proudest  of  them  all.  About  "  the  witching  hour  " 
when  "graveyards  yawn,"  the  trains  moved  from  the  road,  and 
formed  into  a  kind  of  park.  The  mules  were  unhitched  and  fed, 
and  the  men,  after  snatching  a  rude  and  hasty  meal,  laid  down 
without  tents  to  rest. 

A  cruel  reveille,  at  4  in  the  morning,  aroused  the  command  from 
the  sleep  rendered  both  deep  and  sweet  from  exhaustion,  to  find 
their  very  bones  chilled  by  the  damp,  cold  air,  and  the  teamsters 
and  artillerymen  horrified  to  find  every  wheel  sunk  to  the  axle,  and 
every  horse  and  mule  settled  down  into  the  sand  half  the  length  of 
their  legs.  To  complete  the  bill  of  fare,  the  clouds  seemed 
suddenly  to  upset  and  pour  down  such  a  flood  as  occurred  in  the 
experience  of  Noah.  He  was  in  an  ark,  but  we  were  not.  The 
treacherous  sand  quickly  became  a  slush  that  seemed  to  slide  from 
\inder  our  feet.  Horses  and  mules  were  valueless,  and,  soaked  to 
the  skin,  all  hands  set  to  work  with  a  will.  Long,  strong  ropes 
were  hitched  to  wagons,  artillery  and  caissons.  Our  common 
calamity  broke  down  all  distinctions,  and  long  lines  of  men 
and  officers — men  in  simple  blue  mingled  with  those  that  wore  bars 
and  stars — tugged  and  pulled  all  day  to  gain  an  open  field  of 
ground,  three-fourths  of  a  mile  away.  On  the  following  day 
we  succeeded  in  moving  two  miles,  having  built  the  roads,  and  on 
the  23d,  by  dint  of  the  utmost  toil,  we  gained  twelve  miles, 
encamping  near  Big  Fish  River. 

At  this  point  we  were  joined  by  the  Sixteenth  Corps,  under 
Gen.  A.  J.  Smith,  they  having  been  landed  there  by  steamer. 
Soon  reaching  a  country  of  wooden  bluffs,  we  were  received 
"in  due  form"  by  the  enemy,  who  awaited  our  emergence  from 
the  horrors  we  had  passed  to  "  welcome  us  with  bloody  hands 
to  hospitable  graves."  In  one  of  these  dashes  of  rebel  cav 
alry  from  their  cover,  they  succeeded  in  killing  a  few  mules  and 
capturing  a  number  of  the  teamsters,  among  whom  was  Daniel 
McClairy,  of  Company  C,  p6th  Ohio.  He  was  a  soldier  as  good 
and  true  as  ever  faced  an  enemy.  Hurried  away  by  his  captors. 


116  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I. 

he  was  paroled  at  Vicksburg,  and  was  one  of  the  two  thousand 
brave  men  who  were  so  shamelessly  put  on  board  the  miserable, 
worn-out  steamer  Sultana.  More  unpardonable  wickedness  the 
sun  never  shone  upon  than  the  herding  of  those  noble  vet 
erans  on  that  rotten  vessel ;  a  more  wanton  murder  was  never  per 
petrated  than  when,  by  the  explosion  of  her  boilers,  they  were 
hurled  to  their  death.  Among  them  all  was  not  a  truer  soul  and 
soldier  than  private  Dan.  McClairy. 

SPANISH   FORT. 

Knowing  that  we  were  near  the  celebrated  rebel  stronghold, 
Spanish  Fort,  immediate  disposition  was  made  to  advance  upon 
it  and  carry  it  by  storm.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  2yth  the 
troops  moved  forward  in  column  by  company,  the  96th  Ohio  be 
ing  again  deployed  as  skirmishers,  and  suffering  severely.  Reach 
ing  the  edge  of  the  wood,  a  gentle  sloping  plain,  a  full  mile  in 
width,  lay  before  us,  on  the  opposite  side  of  which,  on  the  shore 
of  the  bay,  lay  the  huge  semi-circular  earth-work,  embracing  and 
protecting  in  its  rear  an  excellent  and  to  them  exceedingly  valu 
able  harbor.  Long  lines  of  rifle-pits,  on  either  flank,  extended 
like  wings  along  the  shore,  while  the  main  works  were  a  marvel  of 
strength,  being  built  of  timbers  and  earth,  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet 
high,  through  the  embrasures  in  which  peered  a  multitude  of  dark 
cannon  muzzles.  Viewed  from  this  point  it  was'plain  that  no  pre 
caution  known  to  military  art  had  been  omitted  that  could  tend 
to  make  it  invulnerable.  The  forest-trees  had  all  been  removed 
and  used  in  its  construction,  the  stumps  remaining  as  the  only 
cover  for  those  making  an  attack.  The  skirmishers,  advancing 
quickly,  found  that  every  path  and  everv  stum])  on  the  side  at 
which  they  could  take  cover,  were  thickly  planted  with  torpedoes 
that  exploded  on  the  slightest  touch.  It  was  impossible  to  tell 
where  they  were,  so  perfectly  were  they  hidden,  but  to  touch  them 
was  to  be  instantly  blown  into  bloody,  quivering  shreds  of  flesh 
and  splinters  of  bone.  Earth  and  air  were  alike  s:>  fearfully  preg 
nant  with  peril,  that  the  contemplated  assault  was  deemed  unad- 
visable  and  success  by  that  means  impossible.  A  halt  being 
ordered,  a  heavy  line  of  rifle-pits  was  hastily  built  at  the  edge  of 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   I.  117 

the  wood.  This  completely  encircled  the  rebel  for  I,  the  Thir 
teenth  Corps  occupying  it  on  the  left,  the  Sixteenth  on  the  right, 
the  skirmishers  in  the  meantime  having  slowly  and  cautiously 
advanced  about  half-way  across  the  plain.  This  effort  was  severe, 
for  the  enemy  took  cover  on  the  fort  side  of  the  stumps,  which 
was  tree  from  torpedoes,  and  delivered  their  fire  at  us  who  were 
fully  exposed,  beside  which  their  artillery  swept  the  entire  field. 
The  half-mile  thus  gained  was  made  secure  by  the  construction  of 
a  strong  line  of  rifle-pits  during  the  night,  the  96th  being  then  re 
lieved.  Here  the  resistance  became  intensely  stubborn,  and  our 
advance  was  effected  by  very  gradual  approaches  only. 

The  heavy  artillery  of  the  fort  scattered  their  missiles  every 
where.  Mortars,  placed  on  properly  constructed  boats  and 
brought  closely  under  the  high  banks  of  the  shore,  continually 
hurled  huge  shells  that  seemed  to  give  no  warning  of  their 
approach  until  they  exploded  at;  our  feet  the  moment  they 
struck  the  ground.  Our  artillery,  replying  as  incessantly  over 
our  heads,  made  that  plain  a  real  "valley  of  death,"  on  which 
the  skirmishers  exchanged  their  fire  almost  at  the  musket's  muz 
zle.  The  darkness  of  night,  made  livid  by  sulphurous  smoke, 
was  pierced  by  leaping  tongues  of  flame,  and  boiled  with  con 
tinual  thunders.  The  flashes  of  musketry  lighted  the  double 
line  that  glared  at  each  other,  and  the  terrible  torpedoes  paved 
everywhere  this  broad  road  to  destruction.  Still,  night  by  night, 
was  all  this  peril  dared  by  our  skirmishers,  who,  advancing  beyond 
the  works,  would  perhaps  during  a  night  succeed  in  gaining  a  rod 
or  two,  and  there  in  the  morning  would  be  a  miniature  line  of 
rifle-pits  that  during  the  day  could  be  strengthened  into  efficiency. 

Thus,  with  painful  effort,  we  paved  with  dead  and  wounded  our 
way  to  within  three  or  four  hundred  yards  of  the  deep  ditch  that 
surrounded,  at  its  foot,  the  cannon-lined  wall  of  the  fort. 

In  the  midst  of  this  unabating  storm  of  lead  and  iron  we  re 
ceived  news  of  the  surrender  of  Lee  and  all  his  proud  veteran 
army.  Such  exultation  as  filled  our  hearts  cannot  be  described, 
and  in  the  overflowing  of  joy  and  generosity  inspired  by  it,  our 
pickets,  looking  along  their  guns,  shouted:  "Johnnie,  listen  a 
minute:  Lee's  surrendered  to  Grant;  you're  gone  up.  Don't  I 


118  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I. 

often  told  you  so !  "  to  which  Johnnie  would  reply,  rather  sadly  : 
"  Yank,  if  that's  so,  we  don't  need  this  old  fort ;  come  and  take  it !  " 
All  along  the  main  line  the  wildest,  most  frantic  delight  pre 
vailed.  The  artillery  opened  with  tenfold  vigor,  firing  into  the 
tort  and  among  the  dispirited  rebels  a  shotted  salute  that  did  not 
for  an  instant  cease  all  that  long  afternoon  and  night.  Cheer  rose 
upon  cheer  that,  above  all  the  crash  and  roar,  made  the  welkin 
ring ;  and  all  the  bands  played  hour  by  hour,  mingling  their  u  Hail 
Columbia  "  and  "  Star  Spangled  Banner  "  with  the  crash  of  mus 
ketry  and  cannon.  Toward  evening,  replies  irom  the  fort  became 
less  vigorous,  and  in  the  night-time  nearly  ceased,  giving  rise  to 
the  suspicion  that  all  was  not  well  with  the  chivalry.  Acting  on 
this  conjecture,  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith  moved  a  part  of  his  command 
forward,  and  succeeded  in  gaming  possession  of  the  fort,  with 
thirty  of  its  cannon  and  four  or  five  hundred  luckless  rebs  who 
had  not  succeeded  in  getting  away.  The  stars  and  stripes  floated 
in  pride  from  the  rebel  stronghold,  and  silence  reigned  where  for 
long  days  and  nights  the  deep  thunders  had  incessantly  rolled ; 
and  the  morning  sun  smiled 

"  On  the  red  sands  of  that  battle-field  with  blood-corses  strown" 

FORT     BLAKELV. 

The  wild  shouts  that  burst  from  our  lips  in  exultation  had 
scarcely  died  away,  when  the  familiar  command,  "  fall  in,"  passed 
along  the  lines.  In  a  few  minutes  we  were  marching  to  the  assist 
ance  of  Gen.  Steele,  who  had  been  for  some  days  investing 
Blakely,  a  rebel  fortress  near  the  mouth  of  Tenshaw  River  and 
about  fifteen  miles  nearly  north  of  Spanish  fort.  This  also  was 
semi-circular  in  form,  and  built  to  protect  an  important  port  from 
any  possible  land  attack.  The  massive  embankments  forming  this 
irregular  semi-circle  were  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  high,  pierced 
with  embrasures  for  artillery,  a  deep  ditch  encircling  its  base,  and 
all  around  its  front  an  open  plain  about  half  a  mile  in  width, 
which  was  in  turn  surrounded  by  woods.  Its  resemblance  to 
Spanish  Fort  was  very  marked,  the  stumps  being  left  as  there,  but 
much  more  effort  had  been  made  to  render  an  attack  a  certain 
failure  by  planting  torpedoes,  a  savage  and  murderous  method  of 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I.  119 

warfare  that  seemed  congenial  to  these  scions  of  chivalry.  The 
grounds  near  the  fort  were  also  covered  by  a  net-work  of  wire, 
stretching  from  stump  to  stump,  which  could  not  fail  to  greatly 
embarrass  an  advance  upon  these  massive,  cannon-lined  earth 
works. 

To  gather  a  full  comprehension  of  its  horrors,  let  us  place 
ourselves  at  the  edge  of  this  wood,  and  c.ontemplate  an  at 
tempt  to  pass  over  that  half-mile  of  carefully-planted  torpedoes, 
without  even  a  stump  that  did  not  have  certain  death  sleeping 
at  its  root.  Escaping  these,  we  are  liable  to  be  tripped  down 
a  hundred  times  by  the  net-work  of  ^vires.  Then,  descend 
ing  into  the  dee])  ditch,  attempt  to  climb  up  the  nearly  perpendic 
ular  face  of  that  embankment,  rising  fifteen  feet  above  the  level, 
the  whole  plain  enveloped  in  powder-smoke,  and  the  air  full  of 
lead  and  iron  that  continuously  flashes  out  from  cannon  and  mus 
ketry  ! 

But  for  this  very  pathway  are  the  men  of  Gen.  Steele  pre 
pared.  They  are  only  waiting  for  the  arrival  of  the  troops  from 
Spanish  Fort  to  begin  the  appalling  march.  All  around  the  terri 
ble  plain,  in  semi-circle,  lay  these  veterans  while  we  are  hastening 
to  the  bloody  carnival. 

Fronting  them  swarms  the  defiant  rebels,  who,  with  shotted  guns, 
in  the  calmest  reliance  await  the  mad  attempt. 

The  method  arranged  is  very  simple — the  results  dependent  on 
the  reckless  valor  of  officers  and  soldiers,  every  one  of  whom 
knows  that  in  an  hour  the  plain  will  be  splashed  with  their  blood 
and  spread  with  their  wounded  and  dead  A  staff  officer  is  to 
go  to  the  skirmish  line  and  order  it  to  move  forward  and  begin 
the  struggle  by  engaging  those  of  the  enemy.  He  is  then,  from 
a  conspicuous  point,  to  wave  his  hat  as  the  signal  for  the  general 
advance.  In  such  an  awful  hour  one  would  suppose  that  the  most 
earnest  and  serious  thoughts  would  fully  occupy  the  minds  of 
those  who  know  they  are  to  make  this  desperate  venture ;  but, 
strange  to  say,  such  is  not  the  case.  Lying  about  their  stacked 
arms,  nearly  all  smoke ;  jest  and  story  freely  pass  around,  while 
others  discuss  the  question  of  soldierly  qualities  and  the  rela 
tive  courage  of  different  commands  that  are  now  to  be  tested  in 


120  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIX TH    O.  V.   I. 

the  most  fiery  of  ordeals.  This  is  the  subject  of  much  hitter- 
ness  in  the  S^d  Ohio,  that  chance  to  be  lying  near  the  main  road 
running  toward  the  fortress.  This  regiment  is  composed  of  the 
83d  and  48th  Ohio  that  had  been  consolidated,  and  which  is  thus 
divided  into  two  factions,  each  determined  to  demonstrate  the 
other  the  less  couragous  and  daring  by  their  action  on  this  field. 
The  head  of  our. column  is  now  close  at  hand,  and  staff-officer 
Henry  McLean,  to  whom  has  been  committed  the  duty  of  giving 
the  signal,  has  walked  through  the  lines,  and  avoiding  the  torpe 
does  has  nearly  reached  the  skirmishers,  when  some  one  far  away 
starts  a  cheer  that,  from  pure  impulse,  is  swelled  into  wild,  spread 
ing  shouts.  It  rings  like  the  shout  of  the  charge,  and,  mistaking 
it  for  the  signal,  the  vicing  factions  of  the  83d  Ohio  involuntarily 
spring  to  their  gun-stacks.  Quickly  seizing  their  arms,  without 
forming  and  without  orders,  these  daring  men  rush  forward.  In 
an  instant  afterward,  the  whole  line  seize  their  guns,  and  Capt. 
McLean,  observing  the  movement,  although  premature,  waves  his 
hat,  and  that  living  billow  rolls  into  the  treacherous  plain  of 
death..  From  the  cannon  that  line  both  semi-circles  instantly  leap 
solid  shot  and  shell.  At  each  other  and  the  infantry  lines  be 
tween  they  direct  their  aim.  Immediately,  from  ten  thousand 
muskets,  whirl  the  minie-lead  that  in  quick  flight  pass  each 
other  on  their  cruel  errand.  The  air  is  filled  with  missiles,  but 
not  an  instant  pauses  the  iron-souled  and  fleet-footed  outer 
semi-circle.  Their  line  of  shimmering  bayonets  is  far  into  the 
plain.  Cannon-balls  plow  through  everywhere,  and  everywhere, 
closing  the  gap,  the  remaining  comrades  touch  elbows  and  go  on. 
Every  instant  the  deadly  bullet  makes  openings  in  the  ranks,  and 
comrades  again  touch  elbows  over  the  fallen  and  go  sternly  for 
ward.  The  colors  glimmer  in  closing  semi-circle  as  they  approach 
the  ditch.  Every  moment  of  this  march  the  slumbering  torpedo 
has  been  waked  by  luckless  feet  that  shall  tread  the  earth  no 
more.  On  the  extreme  left  a  brigade  of  colored  troops,  advanc 
ing,  excite  the  ire  of  the  rebels,  and  on  them  they  concentrate 
their  fire.  Bending  forward  as  they  rush  on,  the  gaps  made  by  the 
balls  that  plow  them  through  become  unendurable.  They  are 
repulsed  and  scattered.  The  g2d  Illinois,  who  are  on  their  imme- 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V .  I.  11 

diate  right,  with  unexampled  gallantry  move  to  the  left,  and,  cov 
ering  their  part  of  the  field,  defiantly  advance,  and  leave  ninety-two 
of  their  men  on  the  ground.  In  the  swift  march  men  stumble 
over  the  wires,  but  quickly  rise  and  press  on.  Rebels  line  the 
parapets  and  pour  thick  volleys  into  the  very  faces  of  the  shout 
ing  veterans  as  they  reach  the  ditch.  The  whole  line  seems  for  an 
instant  swallowed  up  in  this  deep  hollow,  but  above  them  floats 
the  stripes  and  stars.  The  steep  face  of  the  glacis  is  closely  gird 
led  by  glittering  steel  that  rises  quickly  and  fringes  its  upper  edge. 
Hand  to  hand  they  grapple  on  the  parapet.  It  is  spotted  with 
dead  and  wounded.  It  is  streaked  with  blood  The  survivors 
leap  down  upon  musket-muzzles  and  bayonets.  Astounded  at 
the  reckless  bravery,  and  feeling  bullet  and  steel,  the  rebels  leave 
their  guns',  throw  down  their  arms,  and  hold  up  empty  hands  that 
implore  mercy. 

The  banners  that  have  fluttered  in  this  hurricane  of  balls,  all 
hang  in  shreds  along  the  fortress  walls,  and  our  shouts  of  victory 
roll  up  to  heaven. 

You  who  would  learn  to  love  your  country  and  her  proud  ban 
ner  as  you  ought,  look  from  the  parapet  over  this  field  and  see  one 
item  of  its  cost.  See  this  slope  and  ditch  at  your  feet  covered 
with  brave,  bleeding  men,  whose  friends  with  aching  hearts  shall 
weep  for  them  bitter  tears.  Look  beyond,  and  note  the  blood 
stains  that  crimson  the  soil,  and  the  thickly-strewn  swath  of  those 
who  shall  never  rise.  Alas !  how  many  are  this  moment  with 
white  lips  gasping,  while  from  gaping  rents  the  red  blood  flows 
awry.  See  those  who  strive  to  rise  on  shattered  limbs,  and  those 
who  bravely  staunch  the  tide,  or,  failing,  lie  down  to  die.  See 
those  fresh-made  holes  that  spot  the  plain,  and  around  them  lying, 
in  unsightly  shreds,  the  men  who  touched  the  torpedoes  planted 
there.  It  is  verily  a  plain  of  blood  and  death,  and,  gazing  there, 
a  heart  that  is  human  must  feel  that  there  is  nothing  brighter  than 
our  starry  banner  save  bright  heaven's  stars ! 

Never  surpassed,  scarcely  ever  paralleled,  the  laurels  won  belong 
only  to  the  gallant  troops  of  Gen.  Steele,  owing  to  the  incident 
that  precipitated  the  charge  when  the  troops  that  were  marching 
with  all  haste  to  aid  them  were  so  near  at  hand.  They  accom- 

9 


122  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

plished  the  work  that  was  with  many  doubts  designed  for  all,  and 
had  completed  it  just  as  their  half-envious  comrades  in  arms  and 
glory  arrived  upon  the  field. 

It  was  near  evening,  and  the  Thirteenth  and  Sixteenth 
Corps  were  encamped  in  the  woods  close  in  rear  of  the  line  from 
which  the  charge  was  made.  Thus,  less  than  a  mile  separated  them 
from  the  troops  of  Gen.  Steele  in  the  fort,  and  among  whom 
were  many  personal  friends  and  relatives.  The  desire  to  visit  the 
victors,  to  ascertain  who  among  them  had  escaped,  and  who  had 
fallen  wounded  or  dead,  must  have  been  great  indeed.  Lieut. 
Godman  and  Sergt.  Bunker  of  the  g6th  Ohio  were  rash  enough  to 
yield  to  the  desire,  and,  without  permission,  ventured  down  along 
the  road  and  found  a  guard  at  the  point  where  it  passed  through 
the  rifle-pits,  who  told  them  they  had  far  better  return,  for  this 
road  was  still  full  of  unexploded  ^orpedoes  that  they  might  dis 
cover  to  their  cost.  But,  with  that  listless  indifference  to  danger 
that  so  mysteriously  becomes  part  of  a  soldier's  being,  they  passed 
on.  It  was  yet  daylight,  and  they  noticed  many  of  those  buried, 
infernal  machines  that  had  been  marked  by  their  discoverers. 
Where  they  were  very  close  together,  a  guard  had  been  sta 
tioned  to  prevent  the  stretcher-men  from  treading  on  them. 
Carefully  avoiding  these,  they  still  went  on.  All  along  the 
path  were  the  holes  made  in  the  earth  by  those  that  had  been 
exploded,  and  around  each  one  were  the  fragments  of  those  de 
stroyed.  All  this  did  not  deter  these  men  from  the  unnecessary 
and  mad  undertaking.  By  the  merest  miracle  they  reached  the 
fort  in  safety,  and,  it  being  already  dark,  stumbled  over  the  dead  as 
they  climbed  up  the  slope  and  through  an  embrasure.  In  the  joy 
of  meeting,  the  hours  flew  rapidly  by.  The  moon  had  arisen  and 
gone  down  before  our  visitors  were  ready  to  return,  and  dim  star 
light  only  remained  to  aid  them  in  the  march  they  must  make, 
being  absent  without  leave  and  knowing  that  their  command 
might  move  at  any  moment.  Climbing  down  the  parapet  and  out 
of  the  ditch,  they  groped  around  for  some  time  to  discover  the  road, 
down  which  they  passed  with  care,  hoping  to  find  the  guards  they 
had  met  before;  but  not  a  guard  was  to  be  found.  Tarn  O'Shan- 
ter  was  not  at  "  Auld  Alloway's  haunted  kirk;"  more  sorely  tried 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  123 

as  to  what  course  to  pursue,  but  for  reasons  far  more  weighty  our 
heroes  of  foolhardy  adventure  decided  to  proceed.  There  was  no 
safety  in  a  single  step,  as  the  light  was  not  sufficient  to  even  ena- 
able  them  to  see  the  sticks  set  up  to  guard  the  torpedoes  that  had 
been  discovered.  With  a  strange  commingling  of  fear  and  cour 
age,  Bunker  assured  Godman  that  if  he  attempted  to  follow,  he 
should  not  have  courage  to  do  it,  but  that  he  would  go  before  and 
take  the  first  chance  of  instant  death  ;  and  thus  was  begun  as 
frightful  a  march  as  ever  tested  human  nerves.  Each  pressure 
of  the  foot  upon  the  earth  might  be  a  death-knell,  and  each 
safe  step  might  be  the  last.  On  either  side  the  grounds  were 
thick  with  dead,  and  the  moans  and  plaintive  calls  for  water 
came  mournfully  out  of  the  shadows.  Over  the  field,  to  right  and 
left,  lantern-lights,  like  ghostly  "  jack-o'lanterns,"  moved  about  to 
guide  the  stretcher-men  all  night  busy  in  gathering  up  the 
wounded,  while  all  around  the  explosion  of  torpedoes  tore  to 
pieces  those  who  chanced  in  the  darkness  to  step  upon  them, 
continually  warning  others  that  the  next  step  might  ring  their 
death-knell.  In  this  appalling  gloom  they  slowly  marched  on 
the  hope  inspired  by  each  step  made  being  instantly  blotted  out 
by  that  next  to  be  taken,  when  they  stumbled  on  a  wounded 
rebel  lying  across  the  road  with  his  head  near  a  little  gully.  He 
was  eighteen  years  old  and  fatally  injured.  To  their  inquiries  if 
he  knew  the  location  of  any  of  the  torpedoes,  he  answered  frankly 
and  earnestly  that  if  there  were  any  near  the  place  he  did  not 
know  it.  By  chance  a  party  that  moment  came  up  with  a  stretch 
er,  and,  finding  him  severely  hurt,  gathered  around  the  innocent, 
sweet-voiced  boy  to  carry  him  to  the  hospital.  In  doing  so,  some 
of  the  men  passed  around  his  head  close  to  the  gully,  when  the 
same  sweet  voice  asked  them,  in  kindness  to  him,  not  to  go  near 
the  edge.  Investigation,  by  aid  of  a  lantern,  showed  a  nest  of  the 
dreadful  missiles,  of  which  he  but  a  moment  before,  and  as  long 
as  he  thought  there  was  a  chance  left  of  their  killing  only  Yan 
kees,  assured  them  he  knew  nothing.  It  was  instantly  and  unan 
imously  decided  that  more  worthy  men  needed  the  services  of 
stretcher-men,  and  our  brace  of  foolhardy  visitors  moved  on? 
neither  wiser  nor  better  men.  Strangely,  and  as  if  by  Providence 


124  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O     V.    f. 

guided,  they  arrived  in  safety,  having,  in  darkness  and  gloom, 
amid  the  dying,  the  dea.d  and  the  groans  of  the  suffering,  walked 
the  narrow  road. 

On  the  following  day  it  was  ascertained  that  the  rebel  officer 
who  knew  the  location  of  the  torpedoes  was  among  the  prisoners, 
and  he  was  requested  to  point  them  out,  so  that  they  could  be  in 
safety  removed.  This  he  haughtily  and  indignantly  refused  to-do. 
Gentle  soul!  he  had  planted  them  to  kill  Yankees,  and  he  desired 
them  yet  to  perform  their  mission.  He  little  thought  of  the  test 
that  was  instantly  ordered  for  his  nerves.  One  hundred  rebel 
prisoners  were  selected  and  formed  in  close  column,  eight  abreast, 
the  doughty  and  defiant  Captain  being  placed  in  their  midst.  On 
either  side  and  in  their  rear  a  guard  of  soldiers,  with  loaded  mus 
kets  and  bayonets  fixed,  were  ordered  to  shoot  the  first  who  dis 
obeyed  the  order  to  march  down  that  causeway  of  buried  torpe 
does.  At  the  command,  the  column  moved  to  certain  death. 
The  gallant  Captain  quickly  felt  that  there  was  a  vast  deal  of  dif 
ference  who  marched  over  the  pavement  he  had  constructed  with 
so  much  care,  and,  relenting,  did,  to  save  his  own  life,  what  he 
had  so  defiantly  refused  to  do  to  save  the  lives  of  others.  The 
result  of  his  effort  was  the  removal  of  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
five  torpedoes  from  that  narrow  path,  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
in  length. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

CAPTURE    OF    MOBILE. 

The  splendid  successes  just  achieved  seemed  to  spur  us  on 
to  further  duty  and  adventure,  for  on  the  nth  we  moved  toward 
Stark's  Landing,  situated  to  the  southwest  of  Blakely,  on  the 
shore  of  Mobile  Bay.  The  narrow  road  was  cut  through  a  dense 
forest,  and  as  we  neared  our  destination  lay  across  a  small  stream, 
the  borders  of  which,  for  some  distance,  consisted  of  a  miry 
swamp,  covered  with  water.  A  villainous  corduroy  road  enabled 
us  to  move  slowly  forward ;  and  on  no  consideration  could  even 
one  infantryman  venture  to  leave  it,  as  the  result  would  be  an 
instant  cry  for  help.  The  road  was  so  narrow  that  an  ambulance 
could  not  turn  around,  nor  could  one  team  pass  another  for  any 
purpose. 

The  monotony  of  the  march  was  suddenly  broken  by  the 
discharge  of  cannon  from  our  front,  and  the  whizzing  of  solid 
shot  and  bursting  of  shells  about  us.  The  pieces  seemed  loaded 
with  frightful  rapidity,  and  aimed  with  uncomfortable  accuracy. 
Instinct  itself  would  have  led  us  to  deploy  and  advance  in  line  of 
battle,  but  here  it  could  not  be  done.  The  swamp  was  absolutely 
impassable,  and  retreat  could  not  be  effected.  Soldiers  learn 
by  experience  that  artillery  does  little  injury,  but  a  chance  shot 
may  do  fearful  execution.  There  is  also  something  in  the  whiz 
and  shriek  of  cannon-shot  that  shake  the  nerves  of  the  bravest. 
This  is,  to  a  great  extent,  counteracted  in  battle  by  the  return 
firing  and  the  occupation  of  both  mind  and  body  in  the  duties 
that  are  associated  with  the  contest.  But  to  march  coolly  forward 
under  the  fire  of  guns  accurately  trained  on  your  path  without 
returning  a  shot,  wholly  at  the  mercy  of  an  enemy,  is  as  severe  an 
ordeal  as  man  can  well  be  exposed  to.  Nothing  else  was  left  to 
this  column,  and  under  that  fire  it  moved  unfalteringly  along  the 
corduroy  over  the  bridge  until  our  artillery,  having  made  the 
passage  and  returned  the  compliment,  soon  silenced  our  tor 
mentors. 


126  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

Without  further  incident,  the  entire  command  took  passage  on 
the  morning  of  the  i2th,  and,  in  company  with  a  fleet  of  gunboats, 
steered  across  the  bay  for  the  proud  city  of  Mobile.  The  landing 
of  the  infantry  was  effected  about  six  miles  below  this  rebel  strong 
hold  and  marched  toward  it,  while  the  gunboats  approached  and 
gave  its  denizens  warning  that  "  the  Philistines  were  upon  them," 
by  sending  a  few  shells  as  messengers,  to  which  no  reply  was 
received.  The  reason  of  this  want  of  response  soon  appeared  in 
the  form  of  a  white  flag,  accompanied  by  the  Mayor,  who  formally 
surrendered  the  city  to  Gen.  Granger.  The  disasters  that  had 
befallen  them  in  the  loss  of  Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakely,  and  the 
certainty  that  our  next  movement  would  be  on  this  point,  led  the 
rebel  soldiers  who  occupied  it  to  evacuate  on  the  day  and  night 
previous  to  our  arrival.  It  must  have  caused  them  deep  regret,  as 
the  works  constructed  for  the  defense  of  the  city  were  a  marvel  of 
beauty  and  strength.  Built  under  the  personal  superintendence  of 
their  eminent  engineer,  Gen.  Beauregard,  all  the  resources  of  art 
seemed  to  have  been  exhausted  in  their  construction,  and  the 
expense  measured  by  the  vital  importance  of  the  place  to  the  cause 
he  had  espoused.  This  had  been  their  depot  for  military  stores 
and  for  storage  of  captured  arms  and  other  war  supplies,  of  which 
there  were  vast  amounts,  including  three  hundred  cannon,  many  of 
which  they  had  taken  the  trouble  to  spike,  the  gun-carriages  being 
destroyed  by  cutting  them  down. 

A  part  of  the  enemy  who  had  evacuated  the  city  had  moved 
toward  Whistler,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  i4th  we  followed 
them  for  the  purpose  of  preventing,  if  possible,  the  destruction  of 
the  valuable  machine-shops  and  other  property  located  at  that 
point.  The  distance  was  only  seven  miles,  and  our  march  a 
hurried  one.  The  advance  soon  found  a  detachment  of  the 
enemy,  which  they  very  quickly  engaged,  Gen.  Benton  sending 
back  an  aid  to  direct  that  the  troops  come  up  at  a  double-quick, 
as  the  enemy  were  endeavoring  to  destroy  the  railroad  buildings. 
With  great  promptness  the  men  threw  off  their  knapsacks,  and 
with  all  speed  hastened  forward.  The  action  was  brief,  and 
resulted  in  saving  a  portion  of  the  property  referred  to,  fifteen  of 
the  rebels  being  left  dead  on  the  field. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  127 

Having  resumed  our  march  on  the  ipth,  and  on  the  following 
day  reached  Spanish  Creek,  a  delay  became  unavoidable  from  the 
absence  of  a  bridge.  The  stream  was  narrow  but  very  deep  and 
rapid,  circumstances  taken  into  consideration  by  the  careful 
and  methodical  engineer,  who  sat  down  to  prepare  the  "  plans  and 
specifications  "  for  its  construction.  While  this  elaborate  work 
was  going  on,  the  practical  western  boys,  having  nothing  else  to  do, 
and  just  to  while  away  the  hours,  selected  the  trees  that  suited 
their  purpose,  and,  securing  timber  of  a  length  that  they  "  guessed  " 
would  answer,  hurled  them  into  the  water,  and  by  wading  and 
swimming  and  the  use  of  ropes,  guided  them  into  position,  where 
they  were  secured  in  such  a  way  that  they  would  serve  as  stringers 
across  the  river.  Cutting  other  timbers,  puncheons  were  quickly 
made  and  placed  on  these  stringers  in  lieu  of  planks.  The  engi 
neer  had  finished  his  plans  in  time  to  see  the  rude  but  sufficient 
structure  completed. 

The  following  day  proved  to  be  disagreeable,  because  of  inces 
sant  rain  and  as  incessant  mud.  The  streams  were  swollen  to  their 
utmost,  and,  as  they  were  without  bridges,  our  only  chance  was  to 
wade  through  them,  often  to  our  very  necks,  emerging  in  the 
guise  of  half-drowned  rats.  The  picturesque  beauty  of  this 
locality  was  only  noticed  in  a  passing  way,  and  happy  were  we  on 
our  arrival  at  Nannahubbah  Bluffs,  about  150  miles  up  the 
Tombigbee  River.  The  severest  and  most  disagreeable  duties 
were  uncomplainingly  performed.  Our  hearts  were  made  buoyant 
by  the  surrender  of  the  proud  rebel  army  of  the  East,  and  the 
certainty  of  our  early  return  to  our  quiet,  peaceful  homes.  Cheer 
fulness  glimmered  in  every  face,  and  in  camp  unceasing  rounds  of 
jolity  prevailed,  that  none  can  appreciate  save  those  who  have 

in  marches  led, 

And  together  in  the  battle  bled." 

Suddenly  the  noise  and  bustle  and  hilarity  ceased,  as  if  a  mid 
night  lamp  had  been  quenched.  The  silence  was  appalling  as  dark 
ness  in  presence  of  the  dead.  The  vast  multitude  became  voice 
less  as  from  lip  to  ear  was  whispered  the  saddest  news  that  ever 
thrilled  the  nation's  heart.  "President  Lincoln  has  fallen  by  the 


128  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.    V.  I. 

assassin's  hand! "  Immediately  the  most  intense  and  painful 
sorrow  enshrouded  us  as  in  a  pall.  Few  knew  till  then  how  much, 
how  deeply  they  had  loved  him  whose  heart  held 

"  Malice  toward  none,  and  charity  for  a/I." 

The  drum  and  fife  lay  silent  and  unnoticed.  Horsemen  spared  the 
spur,  walking  slowly  on  necessary  errands;  gathered  in  groups, 
men  in  whispers  discussed  the  appalling,  bloody,  wicked  deed. 
When  war-worn  heroes,  familiar  with  death,  bronzed  and  battle- 
scarred  bend  in  sorrow,  there  is  no  idle  cause  for  grief. 

High  noon  arrives,  and  over  the  camps,  from  the  far  right  of  our 
line  deep  rolls  the  solemn  dirge.  Hearts  beat  in  unison,  souls 
are  bowed,  and  lips  silent  in  devotional  awe.  The  band  ceasing, 
the  one  next  to  it  takes  up  the  funereal -note.  From  right  to  left, 
each  band  bewails  the  heart's  sorrow  and  the  nation's  loss.  A 
day  that  seemed  endless  passed  into  a  night  of  gloom  that  promised 
only  a  cheerless  morrow. 

Orders  to  prepare  to  march  are  in  any  and  all  events  imperative. 
To  them  all  else  promptly  yields,  even  sorrow.  Preparations  to 
embark  on  the  steamer  Battle  soon  reproduced  the  accustomed 
bustle,  and  steaming  up  the  river  we  landed  at  Mclntosh  Bluffs, 
where  we  hoped  to  find  the  enemy.  A  command,  consisting  of 
the  96th  Ohio,  35th  Wisconsin,  yyth  Indiana  and  2ist  New-York 
Battery  were  sent  out  in  search  of  them,  and  happily  found  plenty 
of  forage,  with  which  they  returned  to  camp  to  hear  the  glorious 
news  of  Johnson's  surrender.  Clearer  and  clearer  became  the 
fact  that  the  Confederate  bubble  had  burst,  and  that  peace,  with 
all  its  charms,  was  closely  at  hand.  This  place,  in  itself,  was 
as  cheerless  as  could  be  well  imagined,  but  the  bright  prospects  of 
the  near  future  gave  day  and  night  a  charm  that  was,  on  the  8th, 
greatly  enhanced  by  a  fleet  of  boats  and  transports  coming  down 
the  stream  and  stopping  at  the  rude  river  landing. 

A  part  of  the  rebel  troops  that  evacuated  Mobile  just  before  our 
arrival,  had  boarded  these  vessels  and  gone  up  the  river  to  await 
the  chances  th.at  fortune  might  bring.  This  proved  a  fruitless 
venture,  as  they  there  surrendered,  and  were  now,  by  some 
arrangement,  permitted  to  return.  The  men  that  hailed  us  from 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   I. 

these  crowded  decks  wore  the  dress  with  which  we  were  thor 
oughly  familiar.  In  lieu  of  defiant  shouts  and  musket  volleys, 
they  hailed  and  were  greeted  as  friends.  Having  surrendered 
their  arms,  the  war,  to  them,  was  over,  and  all  its  bitterness  past 
and  buried.  With  that  frank,  courtly  regard  which  the  brave 
entertain  for  those  they  have  tried  by  fire,  no  time  was  lost  in 
establishing  the  most  friendly  feeling  between  "the  blue  and  the 
gray."  This  friendly  commingling  in  camp  was  to  be  prolonged 
by  the  embarkation  of  all  on  this  fleet  of  steamers  for  the  city  of 
Mobile,  in  connection  with  which  occurred  the  following  incident : 
The  96th  Ohio  was  assigned  to  the  steamer  St.  Charles,  on  board 
of  which  was  the  wife  of  the  rebel  General  Cheatham,  together 
with  several  other  ladies,  who  were  availing  themselves  of  this 
opportunity  to  return  to  their  homes.  The  announcement  of  the 
captain  that  he  must  carry  a  regiment  of  Federal  soldiers  caused 
the  greatest  possible  grief  and  consternation  in  this  feminine  camp. 
The  faded  glories  of  the  Confederacy  and  the  fortunes  of  its 
chivalrous  supporters  were  certainly  bitter,  but  to  be  so  soon 
compelled  to  accept  favors  of,  and  be  herded  with,  a  mass  of  these 
detested,  brutal  mud-sills,  would  be  an  unendurable  horror. 
Said  Mrs.  C.  :  "  It  cannot  be;  I  cannot  endure  it.  What  will 
become  of  us  in  their  merciless  grasp.  All  is,  indeed,  lost  when 
the  daughters  of  our  chivalrous  sires  come  to  such  bitter  humilia 
tion  and  peril."  The  assurance  of  the  captain  that  her  fears  were, 
no  doubt,  groundless,  only  led  to  a  repetition  of  the  same  senti 
ments,  accompanied  with  the  freest  expression  of  the  idea  that 
northern  men  were  necessarily  most  perfect  vandals,  whose  highest 
aim  and  the  sole  object  of  whose  lives  were  reveling  in  wickedness 
and  debauchery.  The  assurance  of  the  captain  that  he  had  met 
the  Yankee  Colonel  who  commanded  the  regiment  assigned  to  his 
boat,  and  that  he  seemed  to  be  a  gentleman  of  honor,  led  the  lady 
at  last,  and  only  as  a  dernier  resort,  to  accept  an  interview  with 
him.  Folding  her  rebel  robes  about  her,  for  fear  of  contamination, 
she  haughtily  bowed  her  recognition  to  the  somewhat  reticent  and 
bashful  Colonel,  and,  stating  her  defenseless  condition,  asked 
of  him  the  exercise  of  his  power  as  an  officer  to  protect  her.  Her 
evident  earnestness  suppressed  the  smile  that  would  otherwise 


130  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

have  played  over  his  bronzed  face.  With  a  soldier's  frankness  he 
assured  her  that  the  men  he  commanded  were  soldiers  who  had 
as  such  done  their  duty  nobly,  and  had  never  soiled  their  honor  by 
incivility  to  a  lady — gentlemen  who  had  mothers,  sisters  and 
wives — and  he  pledged  his  honor  as  a  soldier  that  in  any  part 
of  the  boat  they  should  be  as  free  as  in  their  own  homes,  and 
as  safe  from  any  shadow  of  indignity  or  insult.  Even  this 
assurance  was  not  convincing  to  the  ladies,  whose  fears  grew  out 
of  prejudices  that  had  been  the  growth  of  years.  But  the  96th 
came  on  board,  and  quietly  whiled  away  the  time  as  they  floated 
down  the  stream.  The  day  was  very  beautiful  and  the  scenery 
charming,  but  the  frightened  ladies  kept  themselves  carefully 
stored  away  in  the  cabin,  as  affording  the  greatest  seclusion  and 
the  best  chance  of  protection.  Having  been  introduced,  the 
Col.,  in  due  time,  called  and  invited  Mrs.  Cheatham  and  her 
friends  to  step  out  and  view  the  scenery,  to  which,  from  a  sense  of 
fear,  which  she  frankly  expressed,  she  objected  ;  but,  after  the 
reassurance  of  the  Colonel  and  his  persistent  urging,  she  at  last  hesi 
tatingly  accompanied  him.  Passing  out  of  the  door,  her  eyes 
glared  wide  as  she  saw  one  of  the  bronzed  boys  in  blue  sitting 
beside  the  door  perfectly  absorbed  in  reading  a  Bible,  that, 
through  all  his  toils  and  privations,  he  had  carried  with  him. 
Turning  round,  she  gave  vent  to  her  surprise  by  saying  to  the 
hesitating  ladies  behind  her  :  "  Come — there  is  no  cause  for  fear  ; 
the  men  out  here  are  actually  reading  the  Bible  !"  The  shadow 
of  doubt  and  dread  faded  as  if  by  magic,  when  the  officer  assured 
her  that  these  men  were  educated  gentlemen,  many  of  whom,  like 
the  man  she  saw,  had  maintained  ever  and  always  their  religious 
principles  in  both  form  and  fact,  to  which  she,  in  royal,  womanly 
spirit,  replied  :  "  Colonel,  1  will  take  you  at  your  word  ;  I  have  no 
fear  of  men  who,  as  soldiers  in  camp  and  field,  carry  with  them  and 
read  that  best  of  books,  the  Holy  Bible."  it  is  needless  to  add 
that  the  thoroughly  earnest  and  candid  ladies  from  that  moment, 
by  their  presence,  cheered  the  souls  of  the  very  men  they  had  so 
much  feared  while  they  loitered,  or  read,  or  whiled  away  the  time 
in  groups,  discussing  the  past  with  their  recently-made  butternut 
friends. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  131 

In  the  recital  of  many  adventures  by  flood  and  field,  and 
expression  of  sentiments  entertained  by  these  surrendered  sol 
diers,  nothing  was  so  surprising  as  their  earnestly-expressed  regrets 
for  the  death  of  President  Lincoln.  We  expected,  at  best,  only 
partially  suppressed  joy,  but,  instead,  we  heard  the  frankest, 
deepest  and  bitterest  sorrow.  Bold,  brave  enemies,  they  had 
learned  to  love  his  sterling  virtues,  admire  his  earnestness  and 
candor,  and  relied  on  the  generosity  of  his  great  heart. 

The  boat  arriving  at  the  wharf  at  Mobile,  the  passengers 
scattered  their  several  ways,  the  96th  going  into  camp  about  three 
miles  below  the  city.  The  nation's  sky  was  rapidly  clearing  of 
the  war-clouds  by  which  it  had  been  so  long  overcast.  All  the 
rebel  armies  east  of  the  Mississippi  River  had  furled  the  stars  and 
bars  they  had  bravely  carried  over  many  a  well-fought  field  ;  had 
surrendered  their  arms  and  buried  the  bright  hopes  with  which 
they  had  borne  and  wielded  them  ;  but  their  comrades  in  the  far 
west  had  not  tasted  their  bitter  experience,  and  held  with  des 
perado  tenacity  to  both  their  prejudices  and  their  once  "  great 
expectations."  The  favorite  land  of  the  "fire-eaters"  had  been 
transferred  from  South  Carolina  to  Texas.  The  air  was  loaded 
with  their  desperate  threats ;  there  they  had  selected  the  last 
ditch  as  a  place  to  battle  like  Romans  and  like  Romans  die. 

The  Federal  armies  that  had  swept  the  vast  East  looked  with 
complacency  on  this  bristling  bubble,  only  regretting  the  time  and 
labor  that  would  be  used  in  bursting  it.  With  Texas  in  view,  we 
were  kept  almost  continually  under  marching  orders.  Kvery  pro 
vision  was  made  in  the  way  of  supplies  of  ammunition,  rations  and 
the  appropriate  clothing  for  a  most  active  campaign.  Men  were 
supplied  with  two  pair  of  shoes — boots  being  ignored  as  difficult 
to  march  in — while  a  part  of  their  accouterments  consisted  of  a 
pick  or  spade.  It  seemed  that  preparations  were  made  to  dig  up 
the  whole  State  of  Texas,  and,  fired  by  the  foolish  obstinacy 
of  their  hotspurs,  as  well  as  the  wicked  assassination  of  President 
Lincoln  in  their  interests,  and  for  which  at  the  time  they  were  held 
responsible,  the  campaign  would  certainly  have  been  filled  with 
unheard-of  terrors.  There  probably  are  few  of  those  then 
present  and  prepared  for  this  service  that  do  not  now  shudder  at 


132  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

the  purposes  then  fixed  in  their  hearts,  and  who  are  not 
thankful  that  they  were  frustrated  by  the  timely  repentance  of 
the  high-handed  offenders  who,  bowing  to  the  stern  dictates  of 
fate,  "passed  under  the  rod." 

Amid  all  this  preparation  the  longing  for  returning  peace  inten 
sified.  As  the  time  approached  nearer  and  nearer  when  we  should 
again  "  press  our  native  heath."  the  days  passed  more  sluggishly, 
until,  at  last,  the  wings  of  time  seemed  absolutely  leaden.  Nothing 
sufficed  to  break  the  monotony  worthy  of  consideration,  save  the 
following  tragic  event  : 

Vast  supplies  of  combustible  munitions  of  war  had  been 
accumulated  here  by  the  rebels,  and  stored  in  a  large  building 
formerly  used  as  a  cotton-gin.  Both  because  of  its  immense  value 
and  for  purposes  of  safety,  this  building  was  guarded  with  the 
utmost  care,  but  by  some  mischance  (or,  perhaps  by  some 
previously  arranged  rebel  device)  its  ignition  occurred.  As  if  all 
the  pent-up  thunders  were  at  once  loosed,  the  vast  structure  rose 
in  a  mountain  of  flame  and  smoke.  Fragments  flew  thick  and  far 
in  every  direction,  and  rained  down  in  fierce  firebrands,  that 
lighted- whatever  they  fell  upon.  The  heart  had  scarcely  time  to 
resume  its  beating,  when  ever}' where  around  that  pile  of  flaming, 
seething  ruins  arose  a  wide  circle  of  conflagration.  It  seemed  a 
very  sea  of  fire,  in  which  rows  of  buildings  melted  like  wax,  and 
the  boats  and  vessels  lining  the  wharf  were  brands  in  the  burning. 
The  unleashed  fire-fiend  raved  madly  around  that  amphitheater, 
shrouded  in  flame  and  smoke.  With  stout  hearts  and  ready  but 
naked  hands  the  soldiers  combated  the  fierce  enemy  —  a  combat 
that  seemed  absolutely  hopeless,  the  victory  being  won  only  after 
ten  millions  in  value  lay  in  ashes  at  their  feet.  The  most  terrible 
suffering  must  have  been  entailed  on  those  who  not  only  lost  their 
all  but  the  homes  that  had  sheltered  them.  Battle,  with  all  its 
horrors,  is,  at  the  time,  less  painful  than  the  sight  of  the  helpless 
and  dependent  fleeing  in  terror  for  safety  from  the  destroying 
element,  with  grim  want  awaiting  them  wherever  the}'  may  go. 

Kept  continually  tortured  "  on  the  ragged  edge  of  expectation  " 
by  the  prospects  of  a  Texas  campaign,  enlivened,  or  rather  re 
lieved  by  reviews  and  speeches  of  celebrities,  both  military  and 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   t.  183 

* 

civil,  we  lived  on  until  the  never-to-be-forgotten  29th  day  of  June, 
1865.  Three  years  before,  we  stood  proudly  on  parade  at  Camp 
Delaware,  one  thousand  men,  and  were  mustered  into  the  service 
for  three  years  or  during  the  war.  In  the  light  of  our  after  expe 
rience  the  intervening  time  seemed  distant  almost  the  period  al 
lotted  to  man.  Years  are  crowded  into  hours,  and  months  into 
moments,  when 

**  You  serve  the  guns  in  rifle-pits 

And  sleep  beneath  the  silent  sky, 
To  dream  of  home  and  wake  to  war^ 
To  see  a  comrade  drop  and  die?' 

Then  we  little  thought  how  few  would  remain  to  answer  to  their 
names  when  the  happy  day  should  come  for  our  muster  out  of  the 
service  we  had  engaged  in  so  ardently,  and  through  which  we  had 
periled  all  for  the  country  and  her  flag.  With  this  loosening  of 
military  fetters  there  came  to  us  strange  sensations  of  what  we  had 
been  and  what  we  were  soon  to  be.  The  tragic  part  we  felt  was 
past,  and  our  names  entitled  to  live  in  the  memory  of  our  grate 
ful  countrymen.  Having  done  our  duty  in  the  hour  of  sorest  need, 
our  hearts  swelled  with  pride;  but  amid  all  this  the  feeling  could 
not  be  suppressed  that 

"  No  sound  should  awake  its  to  glory  again.'" 

The  bands  were  loosening,  but  we  were  not  yet  free.  The  dis 
cipline  of  the  soldier  must  be  maintained  until  the  work  was  com 
pleted  by  our  being  formally  discharged  as  we  had  been  formally 
recruited  before  being  mustered  into  the  service. 

Bidding"  adieu  to  Mobile  and  "  the  glorious  pomp  and  circum 
stance  of  war,"  an  ocean  steamer  bore  us  away  for  New-Orleans. 
After  a  brief  delay  at  this  point,  we  were  placed  on  board  one  of 
the  old  rickety  stern-wheel  steamers  we  had  become  so  familiar 
with  in  our  many  journeys  up  and  down  the  Mississippi.  Steam 
ing  slowly  against  the  current,  we  lived  on  hard-tack  and  hope 
until  our  arrival  at  Cincinnati. 


134  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY  SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

Our  destination  was  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  the  transit  from  Cin 
cinnati  was  to  be  made  by  cars.  Nearly  three  years  before  we  had 
left  for  the  front,  raw  recruits,  in  unsoiled  clothing,  with  banners 
fresh  and  bright.  We  now  return  stern  veterans,  our  banner 
soiled  in  service,  rent  and  tattered  in  battle.  Then,  cushioned 
coaches,  fit  for  kings,  were  furnished  for  our  transportation  ;  now, 
we  are  all  marched  on  board  the  most  rickety  and  filthy  cattle- 
cars ;  why?— perhaps  some  soulless  master  of  transportation  can 
tell.  Indignation  ran  riot — and  an  old  soldier's  indignation  is  far 
from  being  milk-and-water. 

But  we  brought  with  us  an  unsullied  name  and  a  banner  that 
we  had  borne  through  the  hell  of  battle,  delivering  both  to  the 
keeping  of  our  beloved  Ohio  and  our  common  country  on  the  29th 
day  of  July,  when  we  were  formally  disbanded.  The  last  reveille 
had  roused,  and  the  last  command  "  forward !  "  had  sent  into  the 
death-grapple  the  g6th  Ohio  Volunteers. 

Parting  with  comrades  tried  and  true  was  far  from  painless, 
but  blessings  that  we  knew  awaited  at  our  homes  forbade  our 
lingering.  Joy  thrilled  our  hearts  on  greeting  father,  son  and 
brother,  or  mother,  wife  and  sister — joy  that  words  cannot 
express ;  but  alas !  for  those  who  clasped  only  a  sad  memory  to 
their  hearts !  Alas !  for  the  many  homes  in  which  stood  vacant 
chairs,  noticed  then  with  bitter  tears  because  of  the  return  of 
those  who  had  lived  while  their  dear  ones  had  died.  No  ray  of 
hope  illumined  their  sorrowful  homes  save  that 

"jffe  was  a  soldier  too,  and  not  afraid  to  die" 

Never,  as  then,  had  we  paused  to  observe  the  vacant  places  in 
our  ranks — the  faces  that  were  forever  gone.  Those  bitter  tears 
brought  freshly  before  us  the  places  where  they  fighting  fell.  Be 
fore  us  were  the  graves  wherein  we  buried  them  on  the  field  of 
battle.  Again  we  saw  those  who  had  sickened  and  died  in  rebel  pris 
on-pens,  whose  gaunt  forms  will  haunt  our  memories  and  stir  our 
souls  as  long  as  hate  for  malicious  wickedness  shall  remain.  Of 
fered  on  their  country's  altar  in  a  cause  dear  as  life,  green  in  our 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I.  135 

recollections  shall  ever  live  our  noble  comrades  in  arms,  for  whom 

"The  muffled  drum's  sad  roll  has  beat 
The  soldier  s  last  tatt&o" 

Having  responded  to  their  country's  call  and  sealed  their  duty 
with  their  lives 

"On  Fame's  eternal  camping  ground 

Their  silent  tents  are  spread, 
And  glory  guards,  with  solemn  round, 
The  bivouac  of  the  dead." 

FAREWELL!  » 

Gone  our  various  ways,  separated  by  the  duties  of  peaceful  pur 
suits,  we  are  marching  on  through  life  to  gray  hairs  and  tottering 
steps ;  but  our  hearts  are  together  bound  by  many  a  golden  link. 

"Comrades,  known  by  faith  the  clearest, 
Tried  when  death  was  near  and  nearest, 
Bound  are  we  by  ties  the  dearest, 
Brothers  evermore  to  be; 

"And,  though  spared  and  growing  older, 
Shoulder  still  in  line  with  shoulder, 
And  with  hearts  no  thrill  the  colder, 
Brothers  ever  we  shall  be. 

"By  communion  of  our  banner — 
Battle-scared,  but  victor  banner — 
By  the  baptism  of  that  banner, 

Brothers  of  one  church  are  we  ! 

"Creed  nor  faction  can  divide  us, 
Race  nor  language  can  divide  us, 
Still,  whatever  fate  betide  us, 

Brothers  of  the  heart  are  we!" 


etnutrtam. 


CAMP  OF  THE  96TH   REGIMENT,  O.  V.  I.  | 
NEAR  BATON  ROUGE,  LA.,  July  5th,  1864.  j" 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Officers  of  the  p6th  O.  V.  I.,  con 
vened  by  Lieut.  -Col  A.  H.  Brown,  to  tender  the  sympa 
thies  of  the  Regiment  to  the  bereaved  widow  and  family 
of  our  lamented  Colonel, 

jr. 


and  to  express  our  lively  interest  in  their  welfare,  the 
following  officers  were  selected,  namely  :  Capt.  Leonard, 
Co.  B,  Capt.  Godman,  Co.  D,  Lieut.  Cooper,  Co.  A,  who 
reported  the  following  resolutions,  which  were  unanimously 
adopted  by  the  entire  command  : 

WHEREAS,  On  the  8th  day  of  April,  1864,  in  an  engage 
ment  with  the  enemy  at  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  near  Mans 
field,  Louisiana,  our,  brave  and  much  lamented  Colonel,  who 
came  out  with  us  as  our  commander,  fell  a  martyr  to  his 
country's  cause,  while  gallantly  leading  our  Brigade,  of 
which  at  that  time  he  was  commander  ; 

AND  WHEREAS,  In  the  death  of  Col.  Vance  our  country 
loses  a  bold  defender  and  warm  advocate  of  her  cause  and 
interests; 

AND  WHEREAS,  Our  Regiment  has  lost  a  brave  and  pat 
riotic  leader,  and  those  present  a  warm  and  personal  friend  ; 
therefore, 

Resolved,  By  all  present,  that  we  deeply  sympathize  with 
Mrs.  Vance,  the  widow  of  our  lamented  Colonel,  and  her 
family  in  their  irreparable  bereavement,  and  desire  to  assure 
them  of  our  best  wishes  for  their  peace  and  prosperity. 

Resolved,  That  we  honor  the  memory  of  our  fallen  com 
mander,  and  will  endeavor  to  emulate  his  earnest  zeal  for, 
and  attachment  to,  his  country's  cause. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  the  above  preamble  and  reso 
lutions  be  sent  to  Mrs.  Vance,  and  to  the  Ohio  State  Jour 
nal,  for  publication  ;  with  the  request  that  Mt  Vernon  and 
other  papers  in  the  District  will  please  to  copy. 


J.  \V.  VANCE, 

Col.  96th  O.  V.  I. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

BLOOMFIELD,  OHIO,  / 
December  2ist,  1874.       } 

T.  J.  WOODS,  M.  D.,  TOLEDO,  OHIO  : 

Dear  Sir : — Knowing  that  you  are  writing  a  history  of  the 
regiment  which  I  had  the  honor  to  command  during  a  portion  of 
its  term  of  service,  and  having  been  requested  to  contribute 
something  for  the  work,  I  take  this  opportunity  of  doing  so, 
feeling,  at  the  same  time,  my  inability  to  furnish  anything  that 
will  be  especially  interesting. 

The  events  in  which  we  together  participated  are  long  past — 
seemingly  much  longer  than  they  really  are.  The  participants 
are  scattered  far  and  wide,  each  pursuing  his  selected  walk  in 
civil  life.  But  neither  time  or  distance  can  abate  my  high  regard 
for  the  men  so  often  tried  in  the  severest  ordeal,  and  who  every 
where  by  their  actions  showed  that  no  braver  or  better  were  re 
cruited  during  our  late  war,  and  who  everywhere  sustained  the 
high  compliment  bestowed  on  them  by  our  mustering  officer  at 
Camp  Delaware — a  compliment  which  designated  them  as  "  A 
Regiment  of  Gentlemen." 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  speak  of  the  regiment  before  I  became 
its  commanding  officer;  but  if  our  lamented  Colonel,  J.  W. 
Vance,  were  still  living,  what  a  valuable  report  he  could  furnish 
of  its  officers  and  men.  But  he  is  numbered  with  those  who 
nobly  fell  in  the  discharge  of  duty. 

After  I  became  permanently  its  commander,  the  regiment 
was  consolidated  to  a  Lieutenant-Colonel's  command  of  five 
companies ;  and  I  cannot  omit  this  opportunity  to  renew  my 
thanks  to  Maj.-Gen.  J.  J.  Reynolds,  for  his  kindness  to  myself 
and  the  members  of  the  regiment  in  consolidating  us  into  a 
battalion  instead  of  combining  us  with  some  other  regiment — a 
favor  shown  to  no  01  sr  in  the  department  which  he  was  then 
10 


138  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

commanding.  Great  as  was  this  favor  and  compliment,  it  pre 
vented  the  promotion  of  many  a  worthy  officer  and  soldier.  This 
was  a  circumstance  by  me  deeply  regretted,  as  it  deprived  them 
of  that  which  they  richly  merited  and  had  bravely  earned. 

After  the  formation  of  the  Battalion,  none  of  the  Regimental, 
Field  and  Staff  Officers  remained  except  myself  and  Surgeon 
J.  F.  Hess. 

For  myself,  i  can  only  repeat  the  expression  of  my  pride  at  hav 
ing  led  such  gallant  men,  and  the  hope  that  I  won  their  kindly 
feelings  as  they  did  mine. 

It  is  but  justice  to  accord  to  Surgeon  Hess  the  honor  of  having 
done  his  duty  both  ably  and  faithfully,  at  Sabine  Cross-Roads 
voluntarily  becoming  a  prisoner  rather  than  forsake  the  wounded 
members  of  the  Battalion  under  his  charge. 

Of  the  Line  Officers  1  can  truly  say  that  they  deserve  more 
praise  than  I  can  possibly  bestow.  Both  faithfully  and  fearlessly 
they  performed  their  arduous  and  responsible  duties  in  such 
manner  as  to  secure  the  devotion  of  their  men  and  my  entire 
confidence  and  regard. 

Of  my  Staff,  both  commissioned  and  non-commissioned,  I 
would  that  I  were  competent  to  render  in  this  article  such  tribute 
of  praise  as  they  richly  deserve. 

To  Adjutant  Lewis  H.  Mitchell  and  Sergeant-Major  F.  S. 
Burrows  is  due  the  credit  of  all  the  praise  that  was  given  to  the 
Battalion  for  their  promptness  in  furnishing  orders,  reports  and 
details  asked  for  from  the  different  headquarters  of  the  army. 

Quarter-Master  Kline  is  entitled  to  great  credit  for  the  manner 
in  which  the  men  were  supplied  with  the  stores  of  his  department. 

The  efficiency  of  an  army  depends  very  much  upon  the  thorough 
ness  of  its  supplies  ;  and  no  one  member  of  the  Battalion  contri 
buted  more  to  its  efficiency  than  did  Commissary-Sergeant  Henry 
S.  Bunker.  When  the  Battalion  went  into  camp,  after  a  hard 
day's  march,  I  would  retire  to  my  tent,  after  dismissing  the  com 
mand,  feeling  confident  that  if  there  were  any  rations  to  be  had 
Sergeant  Bunker  would  have  them,  and  that,  too,  promptly;  and 
in  no  instance  was  I  disappointed. 

And  there  was   brave   John    E.  Kirk,   cur  Quarter-Master  Ser- 


SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  139 

geant.  Nobly  he  discharged  his  duty.  Comrades,  if  you  could 
have  seen  him  as  I  did  at  the  battle  of  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  you, 
too,  would  mourn  his  untimely  death.  Many  acts  of  gallantry 
and  personal  favor  rendered  my  attachment  to  him  very  strong, 
one  of  which  occurred  at  the  engagement  above  referred  to. 
When  we  had  been  twice  driven  from  our  position,  and  I  had  be 
come  so  exhausted  that  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  save  myself 
from  death  or  capture,  he,  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  where  the  bullets 
flew  thick  and  fast,  came  to  my  assistance  with  a  horse  that  he 
had  taken  from  a  retreating  cavalryman,  which  enabled  me  to 
reach  a  place  of  safety  behind  the  igth  Army  Corps;  and  whenl 
said  to  him,  "  for  God's  sake  save  yourself,"  no  father  ever  felt 
more  anxiety  for  the  safety  of  a  son  than  I  did  for  the  safety  of 
Sergeant  John  E.  Kirk. 

What  little  reputation  I  may  have  made  as  the  commanding 
officer  of  the  Battalion,  I  owe  to  those  who  faced  the  brunt  of 
battle;  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  all  the  officers  of  the  com 
mand. 

Every  commander  knows  full-well  that  whatever  service  he  may 
personally  render,  the  rank  and  file,  in  return,  make  the  officer. 
My  breast  has  ever  been  filled  with  thanks  to  them,  and  their 
memory  will  be  ever  cherished  by  their  sincere  friend. 

A.  H.  BROWN. 


COLOR-BEARERS. 


The  colors  are  an  emblem  of  both  cause  and  country.  Wher 
ever  floats  our  stripes  and  stars  on  land  or  sea,  a  nation  of  invin 
cible  men  stand  ready  to  maintain  our  rights  and  avenge  our 
wrongs.  Entrusted  with  its  keeping,  no  command  can  be  insensi 
ble  to  the  responsibility.  Received  with  imposing  forms,  sal 
uted  by  present  of  arms,  it  is  guarded  with  jealous  care.  Its  po 
sition  in  battle  tells  plainly  where  its  guardians  are ;  its  fate  is 
often  evidence  of  their  glory  or  disgrace.  It,  therefore,  becomes 
almost  an  object  of  devotion  ;  the  highest  officers  on  parade  salute 


140  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

it  by    reverently  baring  their   heads ;    and  on   the  true  soldier's 
heart  is  inscribed:     "Wherever  thou  goest,  I  will  go." 

The  bearers  of  the  colors,  therefore,  hold  not  only  a  post  of 
honor,  but  of  danger.  Entrusted  to  his  care,  the  warrior's  sacred 
emblem  is  an  evidence  of  confidence  in  his  soldierly  qualities  that 
warrants  the  insertion  of  the  following  brief  and  imperfect  sketch 
of  the  color-bearers  of  the  p6th  Ohio : 

Sergeant  Eli  B.  Miner  carried  our  .first  flag  from  Camp  Dela 
ware  to  Covington,  Ky.,  at  which  point  it  was  placed  in  charge  of 
Sergeant  John  Kehwecker. 

At  Memphis,  Tenn.,  in  November,  1862,  Dr.  Henderson  re 
turned  home  with  a  beautif ally-inscribed  banner  for  the  regiment. 
Our  first  flag  was  then  sent  by  Col.  Brown  to  the  Governor  of  the 
State  of  Ohio,  who  acknowledged  its  receipt  by  the  following 
graceful  letter : 

THE  STATE  OF  OHIO,  EXECUTIVE  DEPARTMENT,  [ 
COLUMBUS,  August  2d,  1864.  f 

LIEUT. -Co*  ,  A.  H.  BROWN, 

<)6th  Regiment  O.   V.  /.,  Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana: 

SIR:  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  yours  of  the  i2th  ult., 
and  with  it  the  old  flag  of  your  regiment,  worn  and  scarred  in  the 
battles  through  which  your  command  has  passed.  I  have  depos 
ited  this  trophy,  with  others  received  by  the  State,  in  a  room  in 
the  capitol,  where  they  will  remain  as  mementoes  of  the  patriotism 
and  heroic  conduct  of  the  noble  men  of  the  State,  who,  under  the 
folds  of  these  banners,  have  periled  or  laid  down  their  lives  to  sus 
tain  the  unity  and  government  of  out  country.  For  this  tribute 
to  the  character  and  honor  of  the  State,  I  beg  leave  to  return  to 
you  and  your  regiment  my  cordial  thanks. 

In  this  great  contest  for  the  supremacy  of  free  government,  the 
people  of  Ohio  have  borne  their  full  share  of  service  and  sacrifice. 
At  all  times  and  upon  almost  every  battle-field  her  soldiers  have 
been  foremost  and  earnest  in  the  conflict ;  and  upon  every  occa 
sion  they  have  nobly  sustained  their  own  and  the  honor  of  the 
State.  In  heroism,  in  devotion,  and  I  am  sorry  to  say  in  sacri 
fices,  your  own  regiment  has  borne  it:  part;  and  while  the  services 
of  the  living  are  appreciated,  the  memory  of  the  dead  will  be 
cherished  by  a  grateful  people.  Faded  and  worn  as  this  battle- 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  141 

flag  comes  to  us,  it  will  ever  constitute  an  endearing  record  of  the 
fidelity  and  patriotism  of  the  men  who  have  borne  it  in  victory 
and  defeat — in  life  and  in  death — always  with  honor. 

Very  Respectfully, 

JOHN  BROUGH, 

Gwernor  of  Ohio 

Sergeant  Kehwecker  was  taken  sick  on  July  8th,  1863,  while 
en  route  for  Jackson,  and  sent  to  Division  Hospital,  where  he 
died  on  the  lyth,  of  diphtheria. 

Corporal  Amos  Fell  then  took  charge  of  the  flag,  and  on  the  ist 
day  of  August  was  promoted  to  Sergeant.  While  the  regiment  was 
in  camp  at  Carrolton,  Louisiana,  during  the  month  of  September, 
we  obtained  a  new  National  flag,  that  was  placed  in  care  of  Ser 
geant  Fell — Sergeant  Isaac  Ivins,  of  Co.  H,  taking  charge  of  the 
banner.  In  the  battle  of  Grand  Coteau.  Sergeant  Fobes  having 
received  a  wound  that  disabled  him,  Sergeant  Tvins  exchanged 
with  him  the  banner  for  his  gun,  which  he  used  effectively  during 
the  battle,  being  taken  prisoner.  Sergeant  Fobes,  with  his  wound 
ed  hand,  carried  the  banner  safely  through  the  action,  after  which 
it  was  delivered  to  private  Ezra  D.  Shreeve. 

On  May  ^9th,  1864,  Harrison  Doty  took  charge  of  the  banner, 
and  Sergeant  Amos  Fell  of  the  National  colors. 

During  the  siege  of  Fort  Morgan  we  received  our  second  Na 
tional  flag,  on  which  was  inscribed  the  names  of  all  the  engage 
ments  in  which  the  regiment  had  taken  active  part  up  to  that 
time. 

These  flags  and  banners  are  deposited  in  the  Flag-room  of  the 
Capitol  at  Columbus.  They  are  mere  fragments,  but  none  the 
less  dear  to  those  who  served  under  them  ;  and  it  is  hoped  they 
will  there  be  preserved  with  care,  that  those  who  come  after  us 
may  in  their  fragments  read  the  lessons  they  so  plainly  teach. 


142  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  JL 

The  following  sketch  was  originally  written  from  facts  obtained 
in  a  private  conversation  and  for  an  entirely  different  purpose.  Its 
insertion  here  is  against  the  wish  of  Mr.  B.,  and  is  made  on  my 
own  motion  and  responsibility :  w. 

COMMISSARY. 


A    REMINISCENCE. 

Few  persons  save  those  who  have  been  taught  in  the  school  of 
experience,  do  justice  to  the  services  of  the  Commissary  of  an 
army.  The  duties  are  of  the  least  attractive  kind,  presenting, 
without  glitter,  the  most  elaborate  details  of  pure  drudgery.  The 
lines  of  communication  and  all  the  means  of  transportation  must 
be  carefully  protected,  and  in  the  field  the  huge  wagon-trains  are 
an  apparent  encumbrance,  save  at  the  very  moments  when  they 
are  needed  for  the  issuing  of  ammunition  or  rations.  The  men- 
at-arms  are  interested  in  their  special  duties,  just  as  the  world  is 
watching  them.  Their  concern  is  in  regard  to  labor,  movements, 
battles  and  results,  just  as  the  world  waits  for  the  thrill  of  news 
from  the  front — news  of  battles  fought  with  victory  or  defeat,  and 
the  list  of  killed,  wounded  and  missing.  None  think  of  the  un 
ceasing  labor  that  brings  to  the  battle-line  the  staff-of-life,  the 
sinew  of  war.  By  night,  by  day,  the  staunch  iron-horse  brings 
forward  needed  supplies,  and  the  emotionless  mule  is  made  to 
demonstrate  that  even  he  is  not  made  in  vain.  Mankind  very 
generally  despise  a  mule ;  mankind  in  many  things  are  very  gen 
erally  unjust.  Some  how  I  can  not  but  think  that  they  are  unjust 
to  the  mule.  I  concede  the  want  of  beauty  of  form  and  sweet 
ness  of  voice,  and  perhaps  of  temper — but  still  "  I  can't  go  back 
on  him."  Usually  over-worked,  universally  treated  with  cruelty, 
the  demureness  of  his  look  as  he  plods  along;  his  sublime  indif 
ference  to  whips  and  the  most  accomplished  profanity,  strike  a 
campaigner  with  a  peculiar  stress  ;  enforcing  a  kind  of  respect — for 
are  not  his  services  indispensable.  The  vccal  effort  is  not  so  re 
pulsive  to  a  man  who  knows,  when  he  hears  a  full  chorus,  that 
there  are  rations  at  hand !  What  old  campaigner  has  not  lain 
down  at  night  hungry  and  exhausted — no  rations — when  lo  !  he  is 
awakened  by  that  "  chorus."  What  sounds  were  ever  sweeter,  and 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  1.  143 

who  would  exchange  them  then  for  the  dulcet  strains  of  harp  and 
lute !  Under  the  influence  of  hunger  the  bright  and  beautiful 
yields  to  the  practical,  and  even  the  army  mule- team,  as  it  winds 
along  the  highway  or  struggles  through  morasses,  becomes  an  ob 
ject  of  endearment. 

It  is  the  business  of  the  Commissary  to  see  that  the  army  is  fed. 
It  must  be  fed — courage  rests  on  crackers.  The  soul  is  not,  as 
was  once  supposed,  situated  in  the  stomach,  yet  the  stomach  has 
much  to  do  with  the  soul.  A  hungry  man  may  do  a  rash  and 
desperate  thing,  but  what  is  glory  to  one  who  is  starving?  It  re 
quires  a  degree  of  loftiness  of  purpose,  of  devotion  to  principle 
that  is  seldom  found  on  earth,  to  keep  a  man  steadily  at  work 
while  his  whole  physical  being  is  crying  out  for  bread.  It  is  not 
only  physical  exhaustion,  but  there  is  a  mental  yielding  that  at  last 
becomes  indifference.  Nothing  but  personal  danger  can  sustain  a 
man  against  the  still  small  voice  from  within.  The  cracker-box  is 
the  twin  brother  of  the  caisson.  There  are  cases  where  both  men 
and  armies  have  borne  cold,  fatigue  and  hunger  unshrinkinglv, 
and,  true  to  pride  and  principle,  have  smiled  at  death.  In  such 
souls  there  is  something  supremely  glorious.  They  are  not  of 
common  mould,  or  common  discipline.  They  are  heroes,  sub 
limely  great  as  they  are  rare. 

The  Commissary  train  then  represents,  in  a  certain  sen<=e,  the 
fighting  capabilities  of  an  army,  and  its  chief  holds  in  his  hands 
its  des'iriy.  Joe  Hooker  understood  this  well.  He  would  have 
supplies.  He  did  not  pause  to  reason  with  his  Commissary  "  how 
or  why."  The  supplies  must  come.  "  If  you  can't  bring  them, 
I'll  get  a  man  who  can."  Sherman  knew  it  well.  At  Atlanta  he 
had  no  transportation  for  tracts — all  his  means  were  needed  for 
rations  and  bullets.  I  do  not  pretend  to  affirm  that  all  commis 
sary  officers  fully  appreciated  their  responsibilities  in  the  "  late 
unpleasantness."  Indeed,  there  is  a  wide-spread  understanding 
that  they  did  not.  Man  is  very  frail,  and  commissaries  were  often 
not  of  the  highest,  type  of  man.  Th'jse  who  did  their  duty  well 
are  unknown.  The  shadows  lie  heavily  on  their  efforts  and  their 
names  are  quite  forgotten.  But  such  there  were  who  lived  and 
labored  faithfully,  and  yet  will  die  and  sleep  unsung. 


144  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.    V.  I. 

It  may  not  have  occurred  to  the  members  of  the  p6th  Ohio 
Volunteers  that  they  were  especially  favored,  and  that,  in  recount 
ing  the  deeds  of  valor  of  their  comrades,  they  should  not  forget 
the  conscientious  and  toilsome  services  of  their  Commissary-Ser 
geant.  They  will  well-remember  the  incidents  of  the  retreat  that 
followed  after  the  disastrous  battles  of  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Pleas 
ant  Hill  and  the  crossing  of  Cane  River.  They  will  call  to  mind 
the  hurriedness  of  the  marchj  with  all  its  privations,  and  the  dis 
appointment  when  they  arrived  at  the  latter  point  to  find  behind 
and  on  either  flank  rebels  in  er.ger  pursuit,  and  the  crossing  of 
this  broad  and  deep  river  contested  by  the  enemy,  who  had.  by 
some  means,  marched  around  them  and  were  now  well  posted  on 
the  shore  opposite  the  only  ford  available  for  wagons  and  artillery. 
Even  to  veterans  the  prospect  looked  dark  and  gloomy.  Superior 
in  numbers,  knowing  well  the  country  and  all  the  resources  it  pos 
sessed,  and  posted  on  the  opposite  side  of  a  stream  difficult  of 
crossing,  it  looked  like  one  of  those  cases  in  which  valor  is  value 
less.  Like  brave  men  who  knew  how  to  fight,  and  if  need  be  die, 
they  faced  the  peril,  making  a  feint  at  the  main  crossing,  and 
moving  a  part  of  the  command  up  the  river  to  effect  a  passage 
there  if  possible. 

The  rebels  perceived  the  purpose,  and  appeared  there  in  force 
also  ;  but  by  a  route  unknown  to  the  enemy,  some  of  our  troops 
effected  a  crossing.  The  most  severe  of  the  fighting  was  done  by 
eastern  troops,  but  the  96th  shared  in  the  action.  Having 
gained  a  footing  on  the  opposite  shore,  they  advanced,  fighting 
their  way  in  a  circuitous  manner  to  flank  the  main  rebel  force, 
and,  after  many  perils  and  losses,  gained  possession  of  the  oppo 
site  side  of  the  ford  in  the  evening.  They  thus  prepared  the  way 
for  the  crossing  of  the  ten  miles  of  wagon-trains,  and  the  command 
which  was  in  its  rear  and  on  its  flanks,  to  secure  protection  from 
the  locust  hordes  of  rebels  who  attacked  every  available  point,  as 
bent  on  destruction  of  our  supplies  as  on  victory  over  our  troops. 

It  is  not  now  my  purpose  to  dwell  on  the  character  of  the  move 
ment,  or  the  feats  of  valor  of  this  eventful  day,  but  to  note  one  of 
those  minor  items  that  neither  find  their  way  into  history  nor 
song. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.    V.   I.  145 

Old  campaigners  well  know  the  importance  of  a  well-filled  hav 
ersack,  and  they  equally  well  know  how  little  is  often  thought  of  it, 
as  after  a  morning  repast  of  crackers  and  coffee  they  start  for  the 
duties  of  the  day.  It  is  probable  that,  wearied  with  exertion  and 
loss  of  sleep,  with  the  battle  certain,  and  the  loss  of  their  wagon- 
train,  all  their  rations  and  munitions  being  as  nearly  so  as  even  a 
copperhead  could  wish,  few  of  them  thought  that  they  might  not 
have  access  to  their  commissary  supplies  for  a  day  or  two  at  best, 
and  possibly  that  they  might  be  deprived  of  them  entirely  by  their 
capture — the  result  of  which  would  be  starvation.  It  was  then 
that  the  thoughtfulness  of  their  commissary-sergeant  served  them 
well.  He  comprehended  the  situation,  and,  while  they  halted 
about  a  mile  from  the  train,  voluntarily  rode  back,  obtained 
crackers,  and  distributed  them  in  handsful  to  the  men  from  his 
saddle,  as  they  stood  in  their  ranks.  One  man  on  a  horse,  distri 
buting  crackers  from  his  saddle  to  a  regiment,  is  a  diminutive 
commissary-train,  but  they  know  its  value  who  have  seen  the  hour 
when  crackers  were  of  more  worth  than  gold,  and  that  day  many 
a  man  unconsciously  did  his  duty  better  because  of  the  "  reserve  " 
thus  placed  in  his  haversack. 

It  is  needless  to  state  that  this  sergeant  was  all  day  with  the 
command,  sharing  its  perils,  while  his  chief,  the  Quartermaster, 
stayed  calmly  and  in  the  apparent  composure  that  betokens  hap 
piness,  with  his  wagon-train. 

The  day  with  all  its  visissitudes  wore  on.  No  time  had  occur 
red  for  any  refreshments,  and,  when  the  ford  was  gained  in  the  even 
ing,  the  men  were  without  a  mouthful  of  food  or  even  the 
ever-cheering  cup  of  coffee. 

There  was  no  sign  of  relief  from  the  hunger  that  is  so  terrible, 
as,  utterly  exhausted,  they  lay  down  on  the  ground  to  rest,  if  not 
to  sleep  beneath  the  sky,  well  knowing  that  the  morrow  must 
bring  new  dangers.  Having  shared  with  them  the  toils  and  perils 
of  the  day,  the  vigilant  sergeant  swam  his  horse  across  the  stream 
about  nightfall,  and  rode  back  to  the  train,  some  six  miles  in  the 
rear,  arriving  about  ten  o'clock  at  night,  and  found  there  no  evi 
dence  of  concern.  The  heroic  quartermaster,  rolled  up  in  his 
blankets  as  snugly  as  a  cocoon  in  its  robe  of  silk,  was  probably 


14.6  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O,  V.   I, 

dreaming  of  elysian  fields  while  the  men  of  his  command  starved, 
resting  on  their  arms !  Imagine  his  consternation  as  he  was 
ruthlessly  aroused  by  the  sergeant,  and  the  intonations  of  the 
inquiry : 

"What  do  you  want?" 

"  Captain,  the  men  have  marched  and  fought  all  day,  and  now 
have  neither  crackers  nor  coffee.  I  am  going  to  get  rations  to 
them." 

"  But,"  replied  the  quartermaster,  "  how  are  you  going  to  do  it  ?" 

"  That  I  don't  know  ;   but  it  must  be  done." 

"  Well,"  said  he,  gallantly,  "  do  it  if  you  can  ;"  and  then,  yawn 
ing,  wrapped  his  blankets  around  him  and  lay  down  to  continue 
his  dreams,  when  our  sergeant  was  alone  and  at  liberty  to  carry 
out  his  purpose. 

The  difficulty  is  apparent  only  when  we  consider  that  it  was 
near  the  midnight  of  one  of  the  darkest  of  nights,  the  distance  six 
miles,  and  the  road  already  filled  with  wagons  of  various  kinds, 
moving  slowly  to  the  front — an  inexorable  law  of  the  teamsters 
being  that  every  team  must  fall  in  behind,  and  no  one  venture,  on 
peril  of  a  teamster's  wrath  and  muscle,  to  pass  him  and  his  mules. 
To  take  his  place  in  this  slowly-moving  procession  would  not  enable 
him  to  reach  the  regiment  until  some  time  the  next  day,  if  they 
remained  stationary,  but  they  would  surely  march  at  daybreak. 
After  much  investigation  and  dark  research,  a  cart  was  found,  in 
size  a  slightly  overgrown  wheel-barrow,  loose  in  all  its  joints — one 
of  those  tender  vehicles  that  seemed  to  have  been  the  object  cf 
especial  attention  from  that  great  leveler,  Time.  Continued 
research  developed  a  diminutive  specimen  of  a  mule  that  would  fit 
this  "  relict,"  and  to  which  it  was  fastened  by  a  harness  improvised 
out  of  a  variety  of  ropes,  straps  and  chains.  A  supply  of  crackers 
and  coffee  was  placed  in  this  uncertain  "  go-cart,"  the  horse  of  the 
sergeant  tied  behind  it,  a  soldier  leading  the  mule,  and,  with  the 
sergeant  as  guide  and  pioneer,  "the  extraordinary  march  was 
commenced." 

To  go  by  the  road  was  impracticable,  and  a  flank  movement 
inevitable.  This  led  them  through  a  cotton-field,  the  rows  of 
cotton  running  at  an  acute  angle  to  the  route  necessarily  taken, 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  1.  147 

adding  severe  trials  to  the  squeaking  joints  of  the  unreliable 
vehicle,  and  taxing  severely  the  energies  of  the  animated  clay, 
called,  for  politeness'  sake,  a  mule. 

The  upsetting  of  the  cart  favored  the  getting  it  empty  over  the 
obstruction.  Reloading,  it  moved  on.  A  ravine,  discovered  by 
the  guide  as  he  groped  in  the  dark,  compelled  them  to  unload 
and  carry  the  whole  concern  over  piecemeal — an  operation 
repeated  a  dozen  times  before  they  arrived  at  a  point  at  which 
they  were  compelled  to  fall  in  with  the  train  that  was,  about  a 
half-mile  in  the  advance,  passing  over  the  newly-laid  pontoon 
bridge.  Here  was  encountered  the  inexorable  teamster,  who 
forbade  any  passing  in  before  his  team. 

Special  pleading,  however,  did  its  work.  A  picture  of  men  who 
had  fought  all  day  and  were  famishing  on  their  arms  was  too 
much,  and,  peering  in  the  dark  to  discover  the  unpretentious  sup 
ply-train,  even  the  teamsters  relented  and  permitted  it  to  pass. 
Thus,  by  dint  of  effort,  had  the  sergeant  made  his  way  to 
the  pontoon  bridge,  having  only  that  to  pass  when  his  route 
would  be  clear,  as  he  could  again  take  to  the  fields.  Here  a 
new  obstacle  loomed  up  before  him  in  the  form  of  an  officer,  who 
was  in  charge  of  the  passage  of  wagons  over  the  bridge.  He  was 
in  no  amiable  mood, and  called  out:  "What  concern  is  this?"  as 
our  "  supply-train  "  drove  along  the  passage,  and  in  the  same 
breath  ordered  his  men  to  "  dump  it  into  the  river !" 

There  are  occasions  when  the  spirit  of  desperation  will  take  its 
course,  and  the  sergeant,  seeing  in  an  instant  all  his  efforts  about 
to  come  to  naught,  instantly  whipped  out  his  "  navy,"  and, 
calmly  presenting  it,  replied  :  "  You  don't  dump  that  concern  into 

the  river  and  live  a  second!"  "Who  in  the  d 1  are  you?" 

roared  out  the  officer.  "  I'm  the  commissary-sergeant  of  the  96th 
Ohio — that's  who  I  am.  I'm  taking  rations  to  them,  and  I'm  going 
over  or  somebody '1  die  right  here.".  Looking  into  the  muzzle  of 

the  revolver  the  officer  remarked:  "That's  pretty  d d  cool," 

while  the  speck  of  a  mule  tugged  away,  and  the  cart  squeaked  a 
full  chorus  of  good-byes  to  the  vigilant  martinet  who  was  willing 
to  do  his  duty  "wisely,"  if  not  "too  well."  About  four  o'clock 
the  men  were  awakened  as  the  sergeant  and  his  little  cart  moved 


148  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  1. 

down  the  line,  and  soon  the  fresh  coffee  was  drunk,  with  many  an 
admiring  expression  for  the  dainty  mule,  and  blessings  on  the 
thoughtful,  painstaking  and  efficient  commissary-sergeant  of  the 
96th  Ohio  Volunteers.  T.  J.  W. 


CHAPLAINS 

AND  THE 


The  surroundings  of  every-day  life  have  very  much  influence 
in  making  us  what  we  are.  Association  with  the  depraved  is 
universally  recognized  as  a  school  of  vice,  while  the  social  influ 
ence  of  the  good  and  pure  not  only  sustains  the  soul's  aspirations, 
but  strongly  tends  to  foster  their  growth. 

On  one  hand  religion  finds  its  most  congenial  soil  where  temp 
tations  are  fewest,  and,  on  the  other,  where  there  are  the  most 
ready  hands  to  clasp  our  own  and  lead  us  upward. 

The  extent  to  which  these  causes  modify  the  religion  of  our 
lives  is  difficult  to  estimate,  but  of  it  we  obtain  glimpses  when 
exposed  to  temptations  and  freed  from  both  the  restraint  and  the 
aid.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  many,  who  found  it  easy  to  walk  in 
the  straight  and  narrow  way  at  home,  wandered  during  their  army 
life  into  forbidden  paths.  Exposure,  toil  and  privations  will 
corrode  the  soul  of  almost  any  one,  and  if  the  busy  tempter  be 
then  present,  and  the  guidance  and  lighi  of  home  associations 
gone,  it  requires  the  highest  moral  firmness  to  walk  sinless  through 
the  gardens  of  attractive  but  forbidden  fruits.  It  is  easy  in  peace 
and  safety  to  persue  the  labors  of  the  week  and  on  Sabbath, 
repairing  to  cushioned  pews,,  listen  to  the  swelling  notes  of 
the  organ  and  the  melody  of  voices  raised  in  songs  of  praise  to 
the  Most  High.  It  is  quite  another  thing  to  keep  fresh  in  the 
heart  the  spirit  of  gentleness  and  love,  of  Christian  meekness  and 
devotion,  when  you  live  every  moment  in  the  face  of  deadly  peril, 
enduring  cold,  hunger  and  fatigue,  where  social  influences  and 


CAPT.  SAMUEL  COULTER, 

Co.  E,  96th  O.  V.  I. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V    [.  M9 

Sabbaths  are  unknown ;  where,  when  church-bells  are  elsewhere 
chiming,  duty  may,  as  it  often  does,  call  you  to  the  savage  field  of 
carnage.  The  fact  is  that  active  military  life  afforded  so  severe  a 
test  for  the  nobler  elements  of  manhood  that  many  were  found 
wanting.  All  campaigners  were  astonished  by  the  frequency  of 
distorted  lives  among  those  in  whom  they  least  expected  it,  and 
especially  that  so  large  a  proportion  of  the  Chaplains  should  prove 
themselves  not  only  entirely  unfitted  for  the  duties,  not  only 
utterly  useless  in  their  calling,  but  frequently  positively  injurious 
by  their  example.  The  delicate  duties  required  a  knowledge 
of  men  which  they  had  not,  and  for  the  privations  and  perils  they 
were  in  no  wise  prepared.  Some  did  proud  honor  to  themselves 
and  their  calling,  while  many  who  thought  they  were  strong,  there 
proved  themselves  weak — found  the  burden  greater  than  they 
could  bear. 

In  this  strange  but  true  light,  the  career  of  those  who  inflexibly 
held  fast  their  nobility  of  soul ;  who,  clad  in  the  armor  of  their 
holy  faith,  walked  through  the  fiery  furnace  unscathed,  beca.me 
the  most  brilliant  examples  of  manhood,  and  of  Christian  faith 
the  most  glittering  light.  The  qualities  that  exalt  a  soldier's 
soul  fill  him  with  the  highest  sense  of  duty  and  the  faith  and  hope 
that  makes  him  afraid  neither  to  live  or  die. 

Such  representatives  were  furnished  by  every  regiment,  and  in 
the  96th  Ohio  the  spiri  of  religion  was  so  marked  and  earnest  as 
to  merit  more  than  a  passing  notice,  and  warrants  the  insertion  of 
the  following  papers  prepared  by  Mr.  L.  Kemerer,  himself  an 
active  worker  in  the  cause  during  the  entire  service  of  the 
regiment  : 

CHAPLAINS  OF   THE  Q6TH   OHIO   VOL. 

"  The  first  Chaplain  appointed  to  preside  over  the  moral  and 
religious  interests  of  the  regiment,  was  Rev.  Mr.  Ketchum,  of  the 
M.  E.  Church.  He  joined  us  about  the  ist  of  October,  1862, 
when  on  the  march  to  Nicholasville,  Ky. 

"  In  due  time  his  resignation  was  presented  and  promptly  ac 
cepted. 

"  Chaplain  Ketchum  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  G.  M.  Scott,  of  the 


150  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   I. 

M.  E.  Church,  who  entered  the  service  as  private  of  Company  C 
of  the  same  regiment ;  and  for  his  soldierly  bearing  was  pro 
moted  to  be  First  Sergeant  of  his  company,  from  which  grade  he 
became  our  Chaplain.  He  accompanied  us  through  many  long, 
wearisome  marches  and  bloody  battles. 

At  the  disastrous  battle  of  Mansfield  he  was  taken  prisoner 
while  attending  to  our  unfortunate  soldiers,  among  whom  was  the 
lamented  Captain  Coulter,  whose  eyes  he  closed  after  death  had 
done  its  work.  After  being  exchanged,  he  rejoined  his  regiment 
at  Baton  Rouge,  La.,  and,  in  the  month  of  December,  1864,  ten 
dered  his  resignation,  which  was  promptly  accepted  by  Maj.-Gen. 
Canby  on  the  i5th  of  the  same  month. 

THE  CHRISTIAN   ARMY  BAND. 

The  resignation  of  Chaplain  Scott  left  us  without  an  official 
leader  in  our  devotions.  So  keenly  was  this  felt,  that,  in  our 
earnestness,  the  religious  portion  of  the  regiment  organized  them 
selves  into  an  association,  which  they  denominated 

"THE  CHRISTIAN  ARMY  BAND  OF  THE  96  OHIO  VOLUNTEERS." 

Seventy-Six  at  once  enrolled  themselves  as  members,  and,  on  all 
proper  occasions,  sought  by  worship  of  God  to  nurture  in  their 
hearts  the  beauties  of  our  abiding  faith  and  love. 

Though  many  different  churches  were  represented  in  the  Band, 
yet  not  a  jar  or  discord  of  a  sectarian  character  ever  disturbed 
their  worship  or  Christian  fellowship.  In  the  humble  tent,  or  in 
the  lone  forest  groves,  whether  by  day  or  night,  and  under  the 
most  widely  varying  conditions  of  comfort,  our  devotions  were 
earnest  and  deeply  heartfelt.  As  an  evidence  of  this,  the  Band 
was  visited  on  several  occasions  by  a  refreshing  revival  of  religion, 
which  strengthened  the  band  of  brotherhood,  and  joined  our  souls 
unto  one.  The  members  of  this  Band  are  now  scattered  far  and 
wide,  but  I  doubt  not  they!  often  look  back  with  the  happiest 
feelings  to  the  many  places  where  we  bowed  in  prayer  to  Him 
beloved  by  us,  and  who  Himself  is  love." 

It  is  but  justice  to  Mr.  Kemerer  to  state  that  although  a  private 


SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY- SIXTH    O.   V.  I.  151 

-in  the  ranks,  who  there  did  his  duty  well,  he  was  the  leading 
spirit  in  the  organization  of  the  Christian  Band.  He  was  also  its 
active  leader,  and  «o  lived  and  labored  that  his  every-day  life 
demonstrated  his  faith  by  his  works. 


KIGHTLINGERS. 


The  man  who  attracts  the  undivided  attention  of  his  comrades 
must  be  a  genius.  Whether  low  or  lofty,  a  philosopher  or  a  harle 
quin,  the  qualities  that  place  him  above  and  beyond  all  others  are 
not  to  be  despised.  The  oddity  that  furnishes  amusement  for  as 
sociates,  when  combined  with  manly  honor,  is  a  "  pearl  of  great 
price  "  in  the  tented-field.  The  regiment  that  failed  to  contain 
such  elements  had  a  fair  chance  to  reach  a  fitness  for  "  treason, 
stratagem  and  spoils."  From  the  least  chance  for  such  degenera 
tion,  the  96th  Ohio  was  saved  by  the  ever-present  and  never-to- 
be-forgotten  Kightlingers. 

Hereditary  influences  have  so  much  to  do  with  us  morally  and 
socially  as  well  as  physically,  that  the  question  of  ancestry  and 
thtir  prominent  traits  of  character  become  highly  important. 
It  is,  therefore,  necessary  here  to  state  that  the  Kightlingers 
were  "born  of  honest  parents'."  In  marked  contrast  with 
many  who  can  boast  such  royal  lineage,  they  preserved  untarn 
ished  the  more  striking  and  better  qualities  attaching  to  their  par 
entage.  They  were  brothers,  and  appeared  on  the  muster-roll  as 
exactly  of  the  same  age.  The  reason  of  this  lay  in  the  fact  of 
their  being  twins.  This  fact  also  accounted  for  the  circum 
stance  that  their  resemblance  was  so  perfect  that  it  was  very  diffi 
cult  to  distinguish  one  from  the  other.  This  similarity  of  looks 
was  paralleled  by  their  mental  constitutions.  Their  thoughts  and 
actions  were  so  undistinguishable  from  each  other  that,  the  opin 
ion  of  one  obtained,  no  consultation  with  the  other  was  necessary. 
To  them  the  injunction  for  "brothers  to  dwell  together  in  har 
mony  "  was  utterly  wasted.  Six  foot  high,  with  the  strangest 


152  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I. 

facial  construction  and  expression,  thoroughly  awkward,  extreme 
ly  energetic  and  honest,  keen  in  trade  as  the  sting  of  a  hornet, 
with  a  droll  humor  that  never  failed,  it  is  no  wonder  that  among 
marked  men  stood  prominently  our  twin  brothers.  In  their  early 
campaigning  they  failed  to  acquire  a  reputation  that  could  be 
deemed  enviable.  This  did  not  arise  from  an  unwillingness  of 
soul,  but  because  of  a  defect  in  their  locomotive  aparatus,  of 
which  due  account  was  not  taken.  Soldiers  soon  '*  spot  "  the  man 
whose  legs  prove  treacherous  on  a  battle-field  or  bring  him  to  the 
front  just  after  the  danger  has  passed.  The  latter  was  the  appar 
ent  defect  in  those  of  the  twins,  and  was  attributed  to  something 
closely  resembling  fear.  But,  by  some  chance,  they  were  both  on 
time' at  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  and  astonished  their  comrades  by 
standing  in  their  places  and  with  the  utmost  unconcern  doing  their 
duty.  They  seemed  to  be  totally  unconscious  of  the  attention  they 
attracted  as  they  deliberately  loaded,  aimed  and  fired,  and  the 
wonder  they  excited  by  so  coolly  demonstrating  that  in  their  souls 
was  not  a  trace  of  cowardice.  Presently  arose  an  occasion  for 
the  advance  of  skirmishers.  The  danger  was  so  great  that  the 
commanding  officer  had  not  the  heart  to  select  and  order  out  a 
company,  for  it  was  only  to  select  them  to  die.  He  therefore 
called  for  volunteers.  The  life  of  the  man  that  went  was  scarcely 
worth  the  snap  of  a  finger,  but  instantly  and  first  of  all  to  step  cut 
as  volunteers,  were  the  Kightlingers.  Not  only  at  this  point  but 
during  all  the  scenes  of  that  eventful  day,  they  did  their  duty  no 
bly.  If  they  were  slow  to  reach  the  field,  they  there  proved  that 
they  were /#.?/  as  slow  to  leave.  All  questions  as  to  their  courage 
were  solved,  and  many  a  man  then  learned  the  important  fact  that 
a  rough  exterior  may  hide  a  royal  heart. 

Their  indifference  to  their  personal  appearance  and  strange 
slovenliness  of  manner  found  a  ready  apology  in  the  fact  that  they 
never  faltered  when  "  present  for  duty,"  nor  for  a  moment  lost 
sight  of  the  fact  that  at  their  homes  their  families  not  only  awaited 
their  return  but  in  the  meantime  needed  from  them  financial  as 
sistance.  To  meet  these  domestic  requirements  their  entire  ener 
gies  were  put  forth.  Their  similarity  held  good  in  their  most 
marked  weakness,  which,  fortunately,  they  found  it  possible  to 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I.  J  63 

turn  to  good  account.  They  had  no  concern  as  to  whether  the 
human  soul  did  or  did  not  reside  in  the  stomach,  but  they  did 
know  that  a  soldier's  stomach  never  surrenders  its  craving  for  flies. 
Devotion  to  a  single  aim  has  never  been  more  fully  shown  than 
theirs  in  what  entitled  them  to  the  designation  of  the  Princes  of 
Pie-makers.  No  place,  however  barren,  failed  to  furnish  them  the 
requisite  material  for  running  their  culinary  concern,  of  which  the 
only  result  was //>.*.  The  most  unmentionable  varieties  were  pro 
duced,  and  at  the  most  unseasonable  times  and  places.  No  one 
knew  when  or  how  they  obtained  pie-dishes ;  but  no  place  was 
too  poor  to  furnish  them.  To  hide  dried  apples  from  them  was 
an  utter  impossibility.  The  amount  of  potatoes  they  could  find 
in  a  hill  was  absolutely  miraculous.  Every  form  of  vegetable  had 
one  common  fate,  and  inexorably  became  pies,  at  fifteen,  twenty 
or  twenty-five  cents  apiece,  according  to  the  laws  that  usually  gov 
ern  trade.  After  military  duties,  life  afforded  to  theni  but  one 
worthy  aim,  and,  tersely  stated,  that  was  pies.  "  In  season  and 
out  of  season  "  arose  in  camp  the  twin  voices,  chanting  in  chorus, 
pies!  pies!  pies!  In  the  pine  forests  and  cypress  swamps,  on  barren 
sands  and  fertile  plantation,  arose  the  same  chorus  of  pies!  pies' 
pies !  Such  alchemy  was  never  before  known  as  that  which,  from 
nothing  x'isible  to  us,  produced  those  pies! pies! pies!  In  fact  the 
material  was  usually  secured  through  the  aid  of  passes,  when  no 
other  man  could  obtain  one.  The  overpowering  necessity  gave 
courage  to  the  twin  hearts.  Before  it  all  distinctions  gave  way. 
They  had  not  the  least  concern  about  approaching  a  General  and 
asking  for  a  pass.  Once  in  the  presence  of  the  one  clothed  with 
the  proper  power,  off  came  the  hat  in  the  left  hand  while  the  right 
caught  into  the  hair  on  the  fore  part  of  the  head,  so  that,  by  a 
comical  combination  of  a  pitch  and  a  jerk,  a  bow  was  produced, 
immediately  followed  by:  "  General,  my  name's  Kiphtlinger,  96th 
Ohio,  on  the  march,  and  I  want  a  pass."  What  do  you  want  a 
pass  for.  sir?"  "General,  I'm  poor  and  have  left  a  family  at 
home;  they  need  more  money  than  I  get.  I  make  a  little  extra  by 
hunting  up  material  and  making  pies.  That's  what  I  want  a  pass 
for."  '*  That  is  no  business  for  a  soldier;  that  is  not  what  you 
are  here  for."  4<  I  know  it,  General ;  but  I  do  all  my  duty.  I  re- 
11 


154  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I. 

fer  you  to  Col.  Brown — he  knows  me.  My  name's  Kightlinger, 
Company  K,  'bloody  96th.'  I  want  to  make  some  pies,  and  I 
can't  do  it  without  a  pass.  I'm  poor,  and  it  isn't  any  thing  wrong 
for  me  to  try  to  do  the  fair  thing  for  my  family  after  I've  done  my 
duty  in  the  p6th  on  the  march.  You  see,  General,  I  need  this 
pass  mighty  bad,  for  I  must  make  some//*?."  Not  appreciating  a 
rebuff,  and  in  his  quaint  way  repeating  this  domestic-fidelity  argu 
ment,  usually  obtained  the  coveted  pass,  followed  by  a  searching 
investigation  by  a  self-appointed  committee  that  knew  nothing  of 
white-washing.  Every  recess  gave  up  its  store,  and  with  surpris 
ing  promptness  arose  the  voice  of  the  busy  tradesmen  in  camp 
with — pies!  pies ! pies !  The  most  wearisome  walk  and  dangerous 
path;  neither  heat  or  cold,  darkness  or  storm,  ever  materially  in 
terfered  with  the  efforts  that  gave  us — pies  ! pies  !  pies  ! 

As  long  as  we  shall  live  to  recite  the  story  of  our  field-service, 
will  be  remembered  the  twin  brothers  and  their — pies  ! pies  ! pies  ! 
Neither  will  it  be  forgotten  that  a  dishonorable  act  never  stained 
their  names  ;  that  steady  and  true  they  performed  faithfully  their 
duty  to  their  country,  and  filled  their  appointed  mission  to  pro 
duce  at  all  times  and  places  their-— -pies!  pies  !  pies ! 


"DICK/' 

Dick  was  only  a  chicken,  and  was  the  property  of  Col.  Brown. 
The  reason  why  he  was  the  protected  pet  of  the  regiment  we  leave 
to  be  determined  by  Darwin. 

To  the  general  reader  it  may  seem  a  very  trifling,  even  an  un 
worthy  matter,  but  to  the  members  of  the  command  this  sketch 
would  be  unpardonably  incomplete  without  a  notice  of  Dick 
He  was  the  adopted  "  chicken  "  of  the  regiment.  There  was  a 
strange  earnestness  in  their  attachment  to  this  bird.  The 
very  men  who  were  never  known  to  decline  u  fowl  "  proceedings 
to  obtain  any  other  specimen,  would  watch  this  one  with  jealous 
care  ;  and  any  attempt  at  harming  him  would  have  resulted  in 


SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  155 

rough  usage,  in  which  they  would  have  been  first  to  "  take  a  hand." 
The  fact  is,  that,  without  other  convenient  object  on  which  to 
bestow  their  tenderness  of  soul,  they  lavished  it  on  Dick 

Of  his  early  history  nothing  is  known,  save  that  he  was  "  pur 
chased  "  by  Charles  Steveson,  Orderly  of  Col.  Brown,  near  Natchi- 
toches,  on  the  6th  of  April,  1864.  He  was  then  rather  juvenile, 
and,  being  of  the  Shanghai  "persuasion,"  was  especially  remarka 
ble  for  his  old  look  and  pressing  need  of  feathers.  In  short,  he 
was  a  very 

"  Flora  McFlimsey,  with  nothing  to  wear" 

In  about  six  months  a  short  and  scraggy  coat  of  feathers  covered 
his  body  without  even  then  producing  any  especial  beauty  of  ap 
pearance,  but  he  was  very  large  and  dignified !  He  walked  about 
with  a  firm,  measured  step  that  had  in  it  something  of  the  military, 
just  as  if  he  felt  and  knew  that  any  other  fowl  that  could  stand  en 
the  ground  and  eat  corn  off  of  the  top  of  a  barrel,  would  not  there 
live  a  minute, 

His  appreciation  of  danger  was  as  well  marked  as  his  good  sense 
on  other  matters.  The  firing  of  a  gun  in  the  enemies,'  works, 
when  seen  by  the  men  would  cause  them  instantly  to  shout,  for  the 
benefit  of  their  comrades,  "here  she  comes,  here  she  comes." 
Everybody  then  "hunted  their  holes."  Dick  understood  this  cry 
as  well  any  of  the  boys,  and  gave  us  much  amusement  by  in 
stantly  dropping  his  head  and  lighting  out  for  cover,  dodging  into 
a  tent,  under  a  log,  or  into  any  place  that  would  afford  even  the 
thinnest  protection  His  docility  was  very  remarkable,  as  he  could 
be  called  and  petted  like  a  dog,  and  often  passed  through  the  camp 
as  if  to  receive  the  congratulations  due  to  his  imperial  chickenship. 

A  succinct  statement  of  Dick's  military  experience  would  make 
him  present  at  the  battle  of  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  and  also  at  the 
retreat  of  the  army  to  Morganza.  He  was  present  at  the  expedi 
tion  of  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan  ;  and  with  us  from  there  to 
Morganza  and  White  River.  He  was  present  at  the  siege  of 
Spanish  Fort,  and  a  spectator  at  the  capture  of  Fort  Blakely. 
He  was  "  in  at  the  death  "  at  Mobile  and  the  skirmish  at  Whistler; 
in  short,  was  on  every  march  and  "  present  for  duty  "  at  every 


168 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY  SIXTH    O.   V.   I. 


action   after  his    connection  with  the  regiment,  being  with   them 
mustered  out  of  the  service. 

He  did  not  fail  to  receive  at  the  hands  of  Col.  Brown  the  atten 
tion  deserved  by  his  arduous  experience,  and  was  taken  by  him 
to  his  home  near  Mount  Vernon,  Ohio.  ''  The  piping  times  of 
peace  "  illy  suited  the  war-worn  veteran,  and  in  a  few  months  the 
unendurable  lassitude  was  kindly  terminated  by  the  untimely 
death  of 


L)  I  C  K  . 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

ROSTER  OF  THE  96th  OHIO  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY, 


FIELD  AND  STAFF   OFFICERS. 


COLONEL— JOSEPH    V\ .   VANCE. 

Date  of  Muster,  August  i2th,  1862;  date  of  Commission,  August 
1 2th,  1862.  killed  in  action  at  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  La., 
April  8th,  1864.  Commanded  a  Brigade  during  a  great 
portion  of  his  time  of  service. 

LIEUT. -COLONEL— AL15ERT    H.   BROWN. 

Date  of  Muster,  August  yth,  1862;  date  of  Commission,  August 
7th,  1862.  Led  the  Regiment  in  almost  every  action  in 
which  it  was  engaged. 

MAJOR— CHARLES   H.   McELROY. 

Date  of  Muster  August  8th,  1862;  date  of  Commission,  August 
8th,  1862 ;  resignation  accepted  by  Major-General  Grant 
July  5th,  1863.  A  brave  and  efficient  officer. 

MAJOR— JOSEPH    LEONARD. 

Date  of  Muster,  July  23d,  r864;  date  of  Commission,  July  i3th, 
1864.  Promoted  from  Captain,  vice  McElroy  resigned. 
Mustered  out  of  service  Nov.  i8th,  1864.  Supernumerary  at 
Consolidation. 

SURGEON— I).   W.    HENDERSON. 

Date  of  Muster,  August  i9th,  1862;  date  of  Commission,  August 
i9th,  1862  ;  resignation  accepted  by  Major-General  Grant, 
April  2d,  1863. 


158  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    <X  V.  I. 

SURGEON— JOHN  H.  HESS. 

Date  of  Muster,  Sept.  29th,  1863;  date  of  Commission,  April  2d, 
1863.  Promoted  from  Ass't  Surgeon,  vice  Henderson  re 
signed. 

ASSISTANT-SURGEON—WILLIAM  J.  SULLIVAN. 

Date  of  Muster,  August  i9th,  1862;  date  of  Commission,  August 
iQth.  1862;  resignation  accepted  by  Major-General  Grant, 
February  28th,  1863. 

ASSISTANT-SURGEON— GEO.  W.  RAMAGE. 

Date  of  Muster,  June  i2th,  1863;  date  of  Commission,  June  2d, 
1863. 

ADJUTANT— GEORGE  N.  STARK. 

Date  of  Muster,  August  igth,  1862;  date  of  Commission,  August 
i8th,  1862 ;  resignation  accepted  by  Major-General  Grant, 
January  26th,  1863. 

ADJUTANT— 2d  LIEUT.  DAVID  A.  STARK. 

Date  of  Muster,  August  9th,  1862;  date  of  Commission,  August 
9th,  1862;  resignation  accepted  by  Major-General  Franklin, 
November  i9th,  1863. 

ADJUTANT— jst.  LIEUT.  LEWIS  H.  MITCHELL. 

Date  of  Muster,  March  26th,  1864;  date  of  Commission,  August 
yth,  1863.  Appointed  Adjutant  vice  Stark  resigned. 

QUARTER-MASTER—SILAS  BALDWIN. 

Date  of  Muster,  July  i8th,  1862;  date  of  Commission,  July  i8th, 
1862;  resignation  accepted  by  Major-General  Franklin,  Dec. 
5th,  1863.  Served  for  several  months  upon  the  staff  of  Gen'l 
A.  J.  Smith,  as  Division  Quarter-Master. 

QUARTER-MASTER—JAMES  G.  HAMILTON. 

Date  of  Muster,  July  29th,  1862;  date  of  Commission,  July  29th, 
1862.  Appointed  March  iSth,  1863,  vice  Baldwin  resigned. 
Resignation  accepted  at  New-Orleans,  La.,  June  3oth,  1864. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I. 

QUARTER-MASTER— G.  W.  KLINE. 
Appointed  November  ist,  1864,  vice  Hamilton  resigned. 
CHAPLAIN— C.  W.  KETCH  UM. 

No  record.      Resignation  accepted  by  Major-General  Grant,  June 
22(1,  r863. 

CHAPLAIN— G.  M.  SCOTT. 

Appointed  June  24th,    1863:     resigned    at    White    River    Landing, 
Dec.  1 5th,  1864. 


NON-COMMISSIONED  STAFF. 

JESSE  T.  BURR.  Sergeant-Major,  enlisted  August  [5th,  ap 
pointed  August  1 9th.  1862.  Was  in  action  at  Chickasaw 
Bluffs.  Discharged  for  disability  at  General  Hospital,  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  February  Hth.  18*63. 

FRED.  S.  BURROWS,  Sergeant-Major,  enlisted  August  isth, 
appointed  February  i4th,  1863.  In  actions  of  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  La.,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  and  Mobile,  (all 
except  Arkansas  Post.)  Wounded  in  the  hand  at  Grand 
Coteau,  La.  Appointed  Serg't-Major  vice  Burr  discharged. 

W.  H.  H.  STROTHERS,  Quarter-Master  Sergeant,  enlisted  July 
29th,  appointed  August  i9th,  1862.  Died  at  Young's  Point, 
La,,  February  2d,  1863. 

JOHN  E.  KIRK,  Quarter-Master  Sergeant,  enlisted  August  8th, 
appointed  March  ist,  1863.  Appointed  Q.  M.  Sergeant,  vice 
Strothers,  deceased.  Commissioned  and  mustered  as  2d 
Lieutenant  Dec.  i6th,  1864.  Was  in  all  battles  except  Grand 
Coteau.  La. 

BENJ.  T.  WILLIAMS,  Quarter-Master  Sergeant,  enlisted  August 
1 2th,  app'ointed  November  i8th,  1864.  In  the  battles  of 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau, 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Cane  River,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 
Appointed  Q.  M.  Sergeant,  vice  Kirk  promoted.  For  several 
months  previous  to  his  appointment  he  was  on  detached  ser 
vice  as  chief  clerk  in  the  Adjutant  General's  office  of  the 
Brigade  and  Division.  Was  with  General  Burbridge  at  the 
battles  of  Grand  Gulf,  Port  Gibson,  [ackson  and  Champion 
Hills,  Miss. 


160  SERVICES    Of    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

GEO.  H.  TILTON,  Commissary  Sergeant,  enlisted  August  2d, 
appointed  August  i9th,  1863.  Discharged  at  Columbus,  O., 
on  account  of  disability. 

HENRY  S.  BUNKER,  Commissary  Sergeant,  enlisted  August 
1 1,  appointed  March  4,1863.  Appointed  Commissary  Sergeant, 
vice  Tilton  discharged.  In  the  battles  of  Chickasaw  Bluffs, 
Arkansas  Post  and  the  remainder  in  which  the  Regiment  was 
engaged. 

THOS.  F.  KIRK,  Chief  Musician,  enlisted  August  2d,  appointed 
August  i Qth,  1862.  Mustered  out  per  General  Orders  from 
War  Department,  April,  1863. 

ENOS  WARD,  Chief  Musician,  enlisted  August  5th,  appointed 
August  i pth,  1862.  Died  at  General  Hospital,  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  April  5th,  1863. 

H.  W.  ALLEN,  Hospital  Steward,  enlisted  August  ;th,  1862,  ap 
pointed  August  1 9th,  1862.  Died  of  disease  at  Jefferson 
Barracks,  St.  Louis,  February  i2th,  1863. 

H.  S.  GREEN,  Hospital  Steward,  enlisted  August  nth,  appointed 
March  ist,  1863.  Appointed  Hospital  Steward,  vice  Allen, 
deceased.  Battles  include  all  except  Fort  Morgan,  Ala. 
Was  captured  at  Sabine  Cross  Roads,  released  and  joined 
the  regiment,  June  i8th,  1864.  He  thoroughly  understood 
his  duties  and  was  a  valuable  assistant  to  the  Surgeon.  The 
sick  and  wounded  who  came  under  his  charge  will  not  forget 
his  care,  especially  at  the  battle  of  Sabine  Cross-Roads. 


COMPANY  A. 

WILLIAM  MITCHELL,  Captain;  appointed  Captain  Co.  A 
July  21,  1862.  In  battles  of  Chickasaw  Bayou  and  Arkan 
sas  Post.  Resigned  March  3d,  1863,  at  Young's  Point,  La. 

WILLIAM  M.  YOUNG,  ist  Lieutenant;  appointed  ist  Lieu 
tenant  Co.  A  August  5,  1862  ;  resigned  November  26,  1862. 

GEORGE  H.  TERRY,  2d  Lieutenant;  appointed  2d  Lieuten 
ant  Co.  A  July  23,  1862.  Resigned  April  n,  1863. 

LEWIS  H.  MITCHELL,  Orderly  Sergeant ;  promoted  to  2d  Lieuten 
ant  November  26,  1862  ;  promoted  to  ist  Lieutenant  March 
26,  1864.  Transferred  to  Regimental  Staff  as  Adjutant  April  i, 
1864.  In  battles  of  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post, 
Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Fort  Gaines  and  Spanish  Fort.  Mustered  out  at 
Mobile  July  7;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase  July  29,  1865. 


SERVICES    OF    THF    NINETY-SIXTH    0.  V.  I.  161 

WILLIAM  ROBERTS,  2d  Sergeant;  August  6,  1862,  Mt.  Vernon, 
Ohio.  Promoted  to  Orderly  Sergeant  April  14,  1863.  In 
battles  of  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg, 
Sabine  Cross  Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish. 
Mustered  out  at  Mobile  July  7  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

JOHN  M.  EWALT,  3d  Sergeant;  enlisted  August  5,  1862.  In 
battle  Chickasaw  Bayou.  Discharged  March  25,  1863. 

GEORGE  TRONE,  4th  Sergeant ;  August  6,  1862.  In  battles  of 
Chickasaw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post ;  wounded  at  the  latter 
place.  Discharged  March  18,  1863. 

SPENCER  D.  LINCOLN,  5th  Sergeant ;  August  2,  1862.  Battles  of 
Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Sabine 
Cross  Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan. 

JOHN  H.  KNODE,  ist  Corporal;  promoted  to  Sergeant  October  i, 
1863  ;  reduced  to  Corporal  by  consolidation  November  18, 
1864.  In  battles  of  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicks 
burg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross  Roads,  Forts 
Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish  ;  wounded  at  the  latter  place. 

GEORGE  H.  LYBARGER,  2d  Corporal ;  enlisted  Augusts,  1862; 
detailed  to  Pioneer  Corps.  i3th  A.  C.,  February  5,  1863. 
Battles :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Port  Gibson,  Champion  Hills, 
Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish. 
Mustered  out  at  Mobile;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

DANIEL  N.  COOPER,  3d  Corporal;  enlisted  August  2,  1862.  Pro 
moted  to  3d  Sergeant  April  14,  1863  ;  promoted  to  2d  Lieut. 
December  19,  1863.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas 
Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Forts  Gaines, 
Morgan  and  Spanish.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile;  discharged 
at  Camp  Chase. 

ALFRED  R.  MC!NTYRE,  4th  Corporal;  enlisted  August  9,  1862; 
discharged  March  20,  1863. 

ALBERT  C.  WILLIAMS,  5th  Corporal;  enlisted  August  7,  1862; 
promoted  to  Sergeant  April  14,  1863.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Forts  Gaines, 
Morgan  and  Spanish.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile;  discharged 
at  Camp  Chase. 

EDWARD  W.  McGiFFiN,  6th  Corporal ;  enlisted  August  2,  1862. 
Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post;  killed  at  the 
latter  place. 

PERCIVILLE  PUMPHREY,  7th  Corporal;  enlisted  August  7,  1862; 
promoted  to  Sergeant  April  14,  1863.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post  and  siege  of  Vicksburg.  Died  in  hos 
pital  in  rear  of  Vicksburg,  July  16,  1862. 


162  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    (X    V.    I. 

GEORGE  E.  BROWNING,  8th  Corporal;  enlisted  August  i,  1862. 
Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg  and  Grand  Coteau. 
Died  February  14,  1864,  of  wounds  received  at  Grand 
Coteau,  La. 

THOMAS  F.  KIRK,  Musician;  enlisted  August  2, 1862  ;  transferred 
to  non-commissioned  staff  as  Chief  Musician.  Mustered  out 
of  service  at  Milliken's  Bend,  by  order  of  War  Department. 

THOMAS  R.  BOWLAND,  Musician;  enlisted  August  2,  1862; 
transferred  to  non-commissioned  staff  as  Chief  Musician, 
November  i,  1864.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas 
Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Died  at  Mobile, 
Alabama,  June  7,  1865. 

CHARLES  H.  LAUDERBAUGH,  Musician;  enlisted  February  29, 
1864.  Battles:  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Trans 
ferred  to  yyth  O.  V.  V.  I.  July  6,  1865. 

NEWTON  A.  CHAMBERS,  wagoner,  enlisted  August  8,  1862.  Bat 
tles  :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson, 
Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross  Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan 
and  Spanish.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile  July  7  ;  discharged  at 
Camp  Chase. 

PRIVATES. 

GEORGE  W.  ARMSTRONG,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bayou  and  siege  of  Vicksburg.  Discharged 
August  8,  1863. 

JAMES  C.  ARMSTRONG,  enlisted  August  7,  1862  ;  discharged 
March  6,  1863,  by  order  of  Brig.-Gen.  Davidson. 

ISAAC  W.  BEAM,  enlisted  August  5,  1862;  discharged  {an.  23, 
1863. 

MARTIN  BENDER,  enlisted  August  4,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Sabine  Cross 
Roads.  Mustered  out  at  Camp  Chase  July  7. 

D.  E.  BLOCHER,  enlisted  October  3.  1864.  Battle:  Spanish 
Fort.  Transferred  to  77th  O.  V.  V.  I.  July  6. 

NATHANIEL  B.  BORDEN,  enlisted  August  6,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bayou  and  Vicksburg.  Transferred  to  Invalid 
Corps  September  i,  1863. 

HENRY  C.  BOSTWTCK,  enlisted  July  2.8,  1862.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral  March  i,  1863.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas 
Post  and  Vicksburg.  Discharged  November  n,  1863. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.    I.  I3 

ISAAC  N.  BOUNDS,  enlisted  February  29,  1864.  Seattle:  Fort 
Spanish.  Transferred  to  77th  O.  V.  V.  I.  July  6. 

CHARLES  BOWERS,  enlisted  August  8,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bayou  and  Vicksburg.  Died  in  General  Hospital  at  Mem 
phis,  Tennessee,  July  6,  1863. 

ADANIRAM  J.  BRIGGS,  enlisted  August  6,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post.  Died  at  Milliken's  Bend, 
Louisiana,  April  22,  1863. 

WILLIAM  BROCK,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Wounded  in  action  at 
Grand  Coteau  November  3,  1863.  Battles:  ChickasaAv 
Bayou,  Vicksburg  and  Grand  Coteau.  Mustered  out  at 
Mobile  July  7  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

ROLLAND  P.  BROWNING,  enlisted  August  4,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post  and  Vicksburg.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate  of  disability  July  17,  1863. 

GEORGE  A.  CARSON,  enlisted  August  5,  1862.  Died  at  Lexing 
ton,  Kentucky,  of  typhoid  fever  November  20,  1862. 

AARON  CASE,  enlisted  August  4,  1862.  Detailed  at  brigade  head 
quarters  October  26,  1862,  by  order  of  Brig.-Gen.  S.  G.  Bur- 
bridge.  Now  living  in  Mount  Vernon,  Ohio  ;  totally  blind 
from  causes  incident  to  service. 

DANIEL  CHADWICK,  enlisted  August  4,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw 
Bayou.  Died  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  July  4,  1863. 

JAMES  H.  CLEMENTS,  enlisted  August  4,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post ;  died  of  wounds  received  at 
the  latter  place  January  n,  1863. 

MADISON  COUGER,  enlisted  August  4,  1862.  Discharged  at 
Columbus,  Ohio,  on  surgeon's  certificate  of  disability  January 
7,  1863. 

ALBERT  CUMMINS,  enlisted  August  4,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Sabine  Cross,, 
Roads.  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Mustered  out  at 
Mobile  July  7  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase  July  29,  1865. 

JAMES  W.  DEVOE,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Grand  Coteau,  (taken  prisoner  at  the  latter  place,  and 
exchanged  May  28,  1864,)  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish. 
Mustered  out  at  Mobile  July  7  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

JOHN  W.  DEWITT,  enlisted  August  9,  1862.  Transferred  to 
Invalid  Corps,  (date  unknown.) 

JUDSON  DISNEY,  enlisted  August  8,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson  and  Grand  Coteau.  Died  May 

21,    1864. 


164  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.    V.  1. 

LEVI  N.  DODD,  enlisted  August  7,  1872.  Promoted  to  Corporal 
June  7,  1864.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post, 
Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads, 
Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile 
July  7  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase  July  29,  1865. 

ALBERT  EMMENS,  enlisted  August  9,  1862.  Battles:  Vicksburg, 
Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  and  Spanish  Fort. 
Mustered  out  at  Mobile  July  7  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

GEORGE  W.  FINNARTY,  enlisted  August  6,  1862.  Battle:  Chick 
asaw  Bayou ;  supposed  to  have  been  drowned  at  Millikeri's 
Bend,  Louisiana,  January  22,  1863. 

WILLIAM  FORDNEY,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post  and  Vicksburg.  Died  July  17,  1863, 
at  St.  Louis,  Missouri. 

GEORGE  S.  FULLER,  enlisted  February  28,  1864.  Battle:  Spanish 
Fort.  Transferred  to  77th  O.  V.  V.  I.  July  6,  1865. 

JAMES  K.  P.  GRAFF,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw 
Bayou.  Died  February  27,  1863,  at  Young's  Point,  La. 

WILLIAM  GREEN,  enlisted  August  8,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  and  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan.  Mustered  out 
at  Mobile  July  7;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase  July  29,  1865. 

OLNEY  K.  HAYES,  enlisted  August  8,  1862.  Transferred  to 
Marine  Brigade  January  i,  1863,  by  order  of  War  Depart 
ment. 

JAMES  H.  HERRINGTON,  enlisted  August  8,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Forts  Gaines, 
Morgan  and  Spanish.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile  July  7  ;  dis 
charged  at  Camp  Chase. 

GEORGE  E.  HILDRETH,  enlisted  August  6, 1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand 
Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and 
Spanish.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile  July  7 ;  discharged  at 
Camp  Chase. 

HENRY  M.  HILDRETH,  enlisted  August  28,  1862.  Detailed  as 
Division  teamster  October  26,  1862,  by  order  of  Maj.-Gen. 
A.  J.  Smith;  returned  to  company  January  15,  1864;  de 
tailed  as  Division  teamster  March  16,  1864,  by  order  of 
Brig.-Gen.  F.  E.  G.  Ransom.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile  July 
7  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

V.KLOSCOE  HILDRETH,  enlisted  August  i,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post  ;  killed  at  the  latter  place 
fanuary  n,  1863. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V    I.  166 

LKVI  L.  HOFFMAN,  enlisted  August  8,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw 
Bayou.  Died  at  Young's  Point,  Louisiana,  February  15, 
1863. 

JAMES  M.  HOFFMAN,  enlisted  August  9,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  (taken  pris 
oner  at  the  latter  place;  exchanged  December  25,  1863,) 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish. 
Mustered  out  at  Mobile  [uly  7  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

JAMES  T.  HUTTON,  enlisted  July  29,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post ;  died  of  wounds  received  at  the 
latter  place  January  16,  1863. 

JOHN  W.  JACKSON,  enlisted  August  9,  1862  ;  promoted  to  Corpo 
ral  January  15,  1863.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas 
Post,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-  Roads. 

HENRY  KARROR,  enlisted  October  3,  1864.  Battle:  Spanish 
Fort.  Transferred  to  77th  ().  V.  V.  I.  July  6. 

JOHN  KELLER,  enlisted  August  9,  1872.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and 
Spanish.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile  July  7  :  discharged  at 
Camp  Chase. 

EBEN  B.  KIRBY,  enlisted  August  9,  1862.  Died  at  Covington, 
Kentucky,  October  n,  1862. 

JOHN  E.  KIRK,  enlisted  August  8,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post.  Transferred  to  non-commis 
sioned  staff  as  Quartermaster's  Sergeant,  by  order  of  Col.  J. 
W.  Vance,  March  4,  1863.  Afterwards  promoted  to  2d 
Lieutenant  of  Company  E. 

McNEiL  KNODE,  enlisted  August  2,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw 
Bayou.  Discharged  August  8,  1863,  by  order  of  Maj.-Gen. 
E.  O.  C.  Ord. 

ISAAC  KRING,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bayou, 
Arkansas  Post  and  Vicksburg.  Died  in  rear  of  Vicksburg, 
July  2,  1863. 

ALVIN  LAMSON,  enlisted  August  8,  1862  ;  promoted  to  Corporal 
June  7,  I863.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post, 
Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau  and  Sabine  Cross-Roads. 
Died  at  Chicago,  Illinois,  August  18,  1864. 

HUGH  LAUDERBAUGH,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Mustered  out  at 
Mobile  July  7 ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 


16H  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

PETER  LAWTON,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post.  Died  at  Young's  Point,  Louisiana, 
April  30,  1863. 

JOHN  MAGAW,  enlisted  August  4,  1862.  Battles:  Grand  Coteau, 
(was  taken  prisoner  and  paroled  December  25,  1863,  and 
exchanged  May  28,  1864,)  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish. 
Mustered  out  at  Mobile  July  7  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

JOEL  R.  P.  MARTIN,  enlisted  August  2,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand 
Coteau,  (taken  prisoner  at  the  latter  place,  paroled  December 
25,  1863,  and  exchanged  May  28,  1864,)  Forts  Gaines,  Mor 
gan  and  Spanish.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile  July  7  ;  dis 
charged  at  Camp  Chase. 

WILLIAM  C.  MARTIN,  enlisted  July  31,  1862.  Battles:  Arkansas 
Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  (taken  prisoner  at 
the  latter  place,  paroled  December  25,  1863,  and  exchanged 
May  28,  1864,)  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan. 

BARNEY  McCuLLOCH,  enlisted  August  2,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Sabine  Cross-Roads, 
(taken  prisoner  at  the  latter  place,  and  exchanged  October 
23,  1864,)  and  Spanish  Fort.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile  July 
7  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

JOHN  McELROY,  enlisted  February  21,  1864.  Died  at  Baton 
Rouge,  Louisiana,  July  20,  1864. 

DANIEL  VV.  McGRADY,  enlisted  July  28,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Mustered 
out  at  Mobile  July  7  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

WILLIAM  McGR  A  w,  enlisted  August  i,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  (detailed  to  Pioneer  Corps,  i3th  A.  C.,)  Port  Gibson, 
Champion  Hills  and  Vicksburg.  Taken  prisoner  while  on 
the  way  to  Jackson,  Mississippi — date  unknown ;  supposed 
to  be  dead. 

WII.UAM  A.  McC/REw,  enlisted  August  4,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  (taken 
prisoner  at  the  latter  place,  paroled  December  28,  1863,  and 
exchanged  May  28,  1864,)  Fort  Spanish.  Mustered  out  at 
Mobile  July  7 ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

NORTON  A.  MEEKER,  enlisted  August  8,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bayou.  Arkansas  Post,  (was  wounded  at  the  latter  place,) 
Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau,  (where  he  was  again  wounded,) 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish. 
Mustered  out  at  Mobile  July  7  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.    V.   1.  16? 

CHARLES  E.  MITZGER,  enlisted  October  3,  1864.  Transferred  to 
77th  O.  V.  V.  I.  July  6. 

JOHN  R.  MOODY,  enlisted  August  8,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau. 

AARON  B.  MOORE,  enlisted  August  6,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau, 
(was  taken  prisoner  at  the  latter  place,  paroled  December  25, 
1863,  and  exchanged  May  28,  1864,)  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan 
and  Spanish. 

ISAAC  PIERCE,  enlisted  August  8,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw 
Bayou.  I3ischarged  March  18,  1863,  by  order  of  Maj.-Gen. 
John  A.  McClernand. 

HENRY  PENROSE,  enlisted  August  8,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw 
Bayou.  Died  at  Young's  Point,  Louisiana,  March  5,  1863. 

THOMAS  R.  PHILLIPS,  enlisted  August  5,  1862.  Battles  :  Chick 
asaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post  and  Vicksburg.  Discharged  at 
Columbus,  Ohio,  December  3,  1863. 

WILLIAM  PORTER,  enlisted  August  r,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts 
Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile  July 
7  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

EBENEZER  PITKIN,  enlisted  August  i,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post.  Died  at  Young's  Point,  February 
i,  1863. 

PHILO  PREMER  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Mor 
gan  and  Spanish.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile  July  7  ;  discharged 
at  Camp  Chase. 

GEORGE  RIGLER,  enlisted  Augusts,  1862.  Discharged — date  un 
known. 

BENJAMIN  RIZOR,  enlisted  August  i,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw 
Bayou.  Died  at  Young's  Point,  on  board  the  Hospital  Boat, 
J.  C.  Swan,  January  26,  1863. 

JESSE  P.  ROBERTSON,  enlisted  August  5,  1862.  Battles  :  Chicka 
saw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post,  (wounded  at  the  latter  place.) 
Discharged  at  Memphis,  Tennessee, — date  unknown. 

GEORGE  ROUPE,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post.  Transferred  to  Invalid  Corps 
February  15,  1864,  by  order  of  War  Department. 

JACOB  ROUPE,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post.  Died  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
July  ii,  1863. 


6  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   I. 

MICH/KL  ROUPE,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post.  Mustered  out  of  service  at  Cin 
cinnati,  O.,  May  30,  1865. 

SAMUEL  SMALE,  enlisted  February  21,  1864.  Battles:  Forts 
Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Transferred  to  77th  O.  V.  V.  I. 
July  6. 

WILMOT  SPERRY,  enlisted  August  5,  1862  ;  promoted  to 
Corporal  March  i,  1863.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkan 
sas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads, 
and  Fort  Spanish.  Mustered  out  a,t  Mobile  July  7 ;  dis- 
.  charged  at  Camp  Chase. 

BRA  LEY  SPRAGUE,  enlisted  August  19,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau, 
(taken  prisoner  at  the  latter  place,  paroled  December  25, 
1863,  and  exchanged  May  28,  1864,)  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan 
and  Spanish.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile  July  7  ;  discharged  at 
Camp  Chase. 

GEORGE  W.  STULL,  enlisted  Feb.  24,  1864.  Battles:  Forts  Gaines, 
Morgan  and  Spanish.  Transferred  to  77th  O.  V.  V.  1.,  July  8. 

JOHN  TARR,  enlisted  August  9,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou, 
Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Died  of  sunstroke, 
at  Jackson,  Mississippi,  July  18,  1863. 

EDWIN  E.  TATHWELL,  enlisted  Aug.  5, 1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson  and  Grand 
Coteau  ;  discharged  on  account  of  wounds  received  at  the 
latter  place — date  unknown. 

JOHN  W.  TAYLOR,  enlisted  August  2,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  (detailed  to  i7th  Ohio  Battery,  April 
i,  1863,)  Port  Gibson,  Champion  Hills,  Black  River,  Charge 
of  Vicksburg,  (returned  to  Company  May  23,  1864,)  Forts 
Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile  July 
7  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

MANOAH  I.,.  TERRILL,  enlisted  August  9,  1862  ;  promoted  to  Cor 
poral  November  18,  1863.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Jack 
son,  Grand  Coteau,  (wounded  at  the  latter  place,)  Sabine 
Cross  Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Mustered 
out  at  Mobile  July  7  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

EUGENE  I.  THOMPSON,  enlisted  July  30,  1862.  Battles  :  Chicka 
saw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  (detailed  to  i7th  Ohio  Battery 
April  i,  1863,)  Port  Gibson,  Champion  Hills,  Black  River, 
Charge  of  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  (Veteranized 
in  Battery — date  unknown  ;  returned  to  Company  April  8, 
1864,)  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Mustered  out  at 
Mobile  July  7  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 


SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I  ICO 

GEORGE  H.  TILTEN,  enlisted  August  2,  1862.  Transferred  to 
non-commissioned  staff  August  19, 1862,  as  Commissary  Ser 
geant.  Sent  home  sick,  and  received  his  discharge  early  in 
1863. 

THOMAS  H.  TRIMBLE,  enlisted  August  4,  1862.  Battles:  Chick- 
asavv  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines, 
Morgan  and  Spanish.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile  July  7  ;  dis 
charged  at  Camp  Chase. 

HARVEY  VANCE,  enlisted  August  4,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw 
Bayou.  Died  at  Memphis,  Tennessee,  March  9,  1863. 

JONAS  WARD,  enlisted  August  8,  1X62.  Battle'  Chickasaw 
Bayou.  Died  at  Young's  Point,  March  2,  1863. 

CHARLES  H.  WARDEN,  enlisted  August  9,  1862.  Discharged 
April  9,  1863,  by  order  of  Captain  Albert  Dod. 

NATHANIEL  D.  WATKINS,  enlisted  August  5,  1862.  Battle  : 
Chickasaw  Bayou.  Discharged  March  18,  1863.  by  order  of 
Maj.-Gen.  John  A.  McClernand. 

JOSEPH  B.  WELCH,  enlisted  March  29,  1864.  Died  on  Transport 
John  H.  Grosbeck,  September  22, 1864. 

WALTER  S.  WHITNEY,  enlisted  August  2,  1862.  Battles  :  Chick 
asaw  Bayou  and  Vicksburg,  (taken  prisoner  on  his  way  to 
Jackson.) 

LEWIS  H.  WILLIAMS,  enlisted  January  2,  1864.  Battles:  Sabine 
Cross- Roads  and  Fort  Spanish.  Transferred  to  yyth  O.  V. 
V.  I.  July  6. 

JOSIAH  WOODS,  enlisted  July  3,  [862.  Battle:  Chickasaw  Bayou. 
Died  at  Milliken's  Bend^March  19,  1863. 

GEOFGE  WRIGHT,  enlisted  August  9,  1862.  Died  at  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  December  i,  1862. 

JOSEPH  P.  WRIGHT,  enlisted  August  9,  1862.  Battle  :  Arkansas 
Post.  Transfei^ed  to  Invalid  Corps — date  unknown. 

ANDREW  J.  ZIMMERMAN,  enlisted  August  9,  1862.  Battles  :  Chick 
asaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  (wounded 
at  latter  place,)  Sabine  Cross-Roads.  Detailed  as  clerk  at 
Headquarters  i3th  A.  C.  Feb.  20,  1865.  Mustered  out  at 
Mobile  July  7  :  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 


13 


170  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY  SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

COMPANY    B. 


JOSEPH  LEONARD,  appointed  Captain  July  2ist,  1862. 
Mustered  into  the  United  States  Service  July  2  ist,  1862. 
Transferred  to  field  and  staff  by  promotion  to  Major  July 
23d,  1864.  Engaged  at  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman, 
Ark.,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads, 
La.,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Ala.  Mustered  out  on  con 
solidation  of  regiment  Nov.  23d,  1864. 

HENRY  P.  BENNETT,  appointed  ist  Lieutenant  August  i2th, 

1862.  Transferred  as  Captain  Co.  A,  96th  Regiment  O.  V.  I. 
May  1 5th,  1863.     Was  honorably  discharged  from  the  service 
by  the  Secretary  of  War,  August  iQth,  1864. 

WILLIAM  S.  WING,  2d  Lieutenant,  appointed  July  23d,  1^62. 
Resigned.  Resignation  accepted  by  Secretary  of  War,  March 
— ,  1863. 

PHINEAS  A.  FAUCETT,  ist  Sergeant,  appointed  August  nth,  1862. 
In  battles  of  Chickasaw  Bluff  and  Fort  Hindman.  Died  Feb 
ruary  23d,  1863,  at  Young's  Point,  La. 

M.  J.  BENNETT,  2d  Sergeant,  appointed  August  i5th,  1862.  Left 
sick  in  hospital  at  New  Albany,  bid.  Discharged  at  Colum 
bus,  O.,  April  ist,  1863. 

HENRY  L.  BADGKK,  3d  Sergeant,  appointed  July  25th,  1862.  In 
battles  of  Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Sent  from 
Young's  Point,  La.,  to  Hospital,  Louisville,  Ky.,  January  22d, 

1863.  Discharged  February  26th,  1863. 

GEORGE  W.  LORE,  4th  Sergeant,  appointed  August  i2th,  1862. 
Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jack 
son,  Grand  Coteau,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile,  Ala.  Taken  prisoner  at  Grand  Coteau  Novem 
ber  3d,  1863.  Exchanged  May  pth,  1864.  Mustered  out 
at  Mobile.  Discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

WILLIAM  H.  MAST,  5th  Sergeant,  appointed  August  i2th,  1862. 
Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Sent  to 
hospitalFebruary  23,  1862.  Discharged  April  3d,  1863. 

JOSEPH  T.  JACOBS,  ist  Corporal,  appointed  August  nth,  1862. 
Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jack 
son,  Grand  Coteau  and  Sabine  Cross  Roads,  La,  Taken  pris 
oner  November  3d,  1863,  at  Grand  Coteau,  La.  Exchanged 
November  25th,  1863.  Promoted  to  Sergeant  April  4th,  1863. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  171 

DAVID  BONAR,  2d  Corporal,  appointed  August  nth,  1862. 
Battle  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Died  at  Arkansas  Post,  January 
i4th,  1863. 

HENRY  B.  SNIDIKER,  3d  Corporal,  appointed  August  i2th,  1862. 
Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Died  March 
3d,  1863,  at  Young's  Point,  La. 

DANIEL  G.  ANDERSON,  4th  Corporal,  appointed  July  25th,  1862. 
Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Sent  from 
Young's  Point,  La.,  January  22d,  1863,  to  hospital  at  Louis 
ville,  Ky.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps  May  ist, 
1864. 

THORNTON  F.  BLACK,  5th  Corporal,  enlisted  August  Qth,  1862. 
Reduced  at  Paris,  Ky.,  October  25th,  1862. 

JOHN  T.  TRUSDELL,  6th  Corporal,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862. 
Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Hindman,  Vicksburg,  Jackson, 
Sabine  Cross  Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile,  Ala.  Promoted  to  Sergeant  May  ist,  1863. 
Mustered  out  at  Mobile.  Discharged  at  Columbus. 

WILLIAM  E.  BURK,  yth  Corporal,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862. 
Battle :  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Discharged  at  Columbus,  by 
Captain  Albert  B.  Dod. 

JOHN  A.  PEOPLES.  8th  Corporal,  enlisted  August  t2th,  1862. 
Battle  :  Chickasaw  L  luffs.  Sent  from  Young's  Point,  Ala,, 
January  22d,  1863,  to  St.  Louis.  Died  February  3d,  1863,  at 
Jefferson  Barracks. 

WILLIAM  S.  McGiNLEY,  Musician,  enlisted  August  i3th,  1862. 
Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman,  Vicksburg, 
Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish 
Fort  and  Mobile,  Ala.  Taken  prisoner  November  3d,  1863. 
Exchanged  May  9th,  1864.  Transferred  to  non-commissioned 
staff,  by  promotion,  2d  Chief  Musician,  November  ist,  1864. 
Mustered  out  at  Mobile.  Discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

COLUMBUS  D.    POPHAM,  Musician,  enlisted    August    nth,    1862. 

Battles :    Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.     Left  sick  at 

Milliken's  Bend,  La.,  April  i4th,  1863. 
WILLIAM    H.    WRIGHT,    Wagoner,    enlisted    August    nth,    1862. 

Mustered  out  at  Mobile.     Discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

PRIVATES. 

JONAS  BECK,  enlisted  August  i2th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman. 


1 72  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINF.TY-SIXTH    O.    V.  I. 

LYMAN  W.  BLACK,  enlisted  August  Qth,  1862.  Battles:  Chick- 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post  and  Vicksbtirg.  Sent  to  hos 
pital  at  Memphis,  Tenn.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve 
Corps  February  i5th,  1864. 

ZIBA  B.  BARKER,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles:  Chick- 
Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Left  Sick  at  Milliken's 
Bend,  La.,  April  i4th,  1863.  Discharged  at  Columbus,  O., 
August  25th,  1863. 

THOMAS  J.  BALL,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862  Left  sick  at  New 
Albany,  Ind.,  November  18,  1862.  Returned  to  regiment 
February  9th,  1863.  Battles:,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand 
Coteau,  Sabine  Cross  Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Span 
ish  Fort  and  Mobile,  Ala.  Taken  prisoner  November  3d, 
1863.  Exchanged  December  25th,  1863.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral  October  ist,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

THEODORE  L.  BEERS,  enlisted  August  i3th,  1862.  Left  sick  at  Cov- 
ington,  Ky.,  October  8th,  1862,  and  discharged  December 
24th,  1862. 

WILBERT  E.  BARNES,  enlisted  August  gth,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Fort  tLindman,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan, 
Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile,  Ala.  Left  in  hospital  April  i4th, 
1863.  Returned  to  regiment  June  6th,  1864.  Mustered  out 
with  regiment. 

WILSON  BARNES,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman  and  Vicksburg.  Sent  to  hospital 
at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  August  20th,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

PAITERSON  BARKER,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman  and  Vicksburg.  Sent  to 
hospital  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  July  i2th,  1863.  Died  at  Mem 
phis,  Tenn.,  July  3ist,  1863. 

JOHN  N.BALL,  enlisted  August  i3th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Died  at  Young's  Point  February 
i9th,  1863. 

JAMES  BENNETT,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Died  on  hospital  boat,  Nashville, 
March  8th,  1863. 

FREDERICK  S.  BURROWS,  enlisted  August  i5th,  1862.  Battles  : 
Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman,  Ark.  Promoted  to 
Corporal  October  25th,  1862.  Transferred  to  non-cpm- 
missioned  staff  as  Sergeant-Major,  January  zyth,  1863.  (See 
non-commissioned  staff.) 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  173 

JESSY  T.  BURR,  enlisted  August  i5th,  1862.  Transferred  to  non 
commissioned  staff  as  Sergeant-Major,  August  ipth,  1862. 
(5'ee  non-commissioned  staff.) 

EVEN  CARPENTER,  enlisted  August  i2th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick- 
asa\v  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman  and  Vicksburg.  Transferred  to 
Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  March  15  th,  1864. 

ANDREW  CALHOUN,  enlisted  August  oth,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Died  April  i2th,  1863,  on 
hospital  boat,  D.  A.  January,  of  typhoid  fever. 

JOHN  H.  CRAVEN,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles:  CVick- 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Sabine  Cross 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 
Ala.  Sent  home  on  sick  furlough  for  sixty  days,  October 
3d,  1863.  Returned  December  i4th.  1863.  Mustered 
out  with  regiment. 

WILLIAM  H.  COLWILL,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman  and  Vicksburg.  Died  in 
Camp  Hospital  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  July  3Oth,  1863. 

FRANK  CRAFT,  enlisted  August  nth,.  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman,  Vicksburg,  Sabine  Cross  Roads,  Forts 
Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  ana  Mobile,  Ala.  Sent  to 
Division  Hospital,  rear  of  Vicksburg,  July  ;th,  1863.  Re 
turned  to  duty  November  28th,  1863.  Mustered  out  with 
regiment. 

NATHAN  CRAIG,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Put  on  Hospital 
Boat,  J.  C.  Swan,  January  23d.  1863.  Died  January  29th, 
1863. 

ALFRED  J.  DICKISON,  enlisted  August  i2th,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman  and  Vicksburg.  Sent  home 
on  sick  furlough  of  thiity  days,  August  2Oth,  1863.  Re 
turned  to  duty  December  3d,  1863.  Sabine  Cross  Roads, 
Fort  Gaines  and  Morgan.  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mus 
tered  out  with  regiment. 

NORMAN  DAVIS,  enlisted  August  i2th,  1862.  Left  sick  at  Dela 
ware,  Ohio,  Sept.  ist,  1862.  Never  rejoined  regiment. 

WILLIAM  B.  DOVVDS,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Left  sick  at 
Covington,  Ky..  October  8th.  1862.  Discharged  at  Colum 
bus,  O.,  April  4th.  1863. 

BENJAMIN  DURBIN,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Died  at  Young's  Point,  La . 
February  3d,  1863 


174  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I. 

CALVIN  DUSH,  enlisted  August  i3th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Discharged  at  Van  Buren  Hospital, 
Milliken's  Bend,  La.,  1863. 

JESSY  K.  EDGAR,  enlisted  August  i2th,  1862.  Left  sick  at  Mem 
phis,  Tenn.,  December  igth,  1862.  Discharged  March  28th, 
1863,  at  Memphis,  Tenn. 

HYRAM  EGGLESON,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post  and  Vicksburg.  Sent  to  Division 
Hospital  in  rear  of  Vicksburg,  July  4th,  1863.  Died  at  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  July  27th,  1863. 

WILLIAM  R.  FOBES,  enlisted  August  i2th,  1862.  Left  sick  at  Nich- 
olasville,  Ky.,  November  nth,  1862.  Returned  to  regiment 
February  7th,  1863.  Appointed  ist  Sergeant  April  ist,  1863. 
Battles:  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan.  Mustered  out  November 
24th,  1864,  by  consolidation. 

VALENTINE  FARQUHAR, enlisted  August 9th,  1862.  Battle:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs.  Put  on  Hospital  Boat,  D.  A.  January,  March 
6th,  1863.  Discharged  November  i7th,  1863,  at  Columbus,  O. 

JACOB  FEASTER,  enlisted  August  i3th,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Left  sick 
at  Carrollton,  La.,  October  3d,  1863.  Returned  to  duty 
November  22d,  1863.  Died  of  wounds  received  in  battle  of 
Sabine  Cross  Roads,  June  i2th,  1864. 

BARNET  B.  GRENLEE,  enlisted  August  i3th,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post  and  Vicksburg.  Sent  to 
Division  Hospital  in  rear  of  Vicksburg,  July  4th,  1863.  Dis 
charged  November  2 ist,  1863,  at  Columbus,  O. 

GEORGE  W.  HEWKLKR,  enlisted  August  i3th,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Left  sick  at  Milli 
ken's  Bend  April  i4th,  1863.  Died  April  28th,  1863,  of  con 
sumption. 

JOBE  HARDIN,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Discharged  March  24th,  1863,  at 
Milliken's  Bend,  La. 

SAMUEL  M.  HOBBS,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Left  sick  at  Cov- 
ington,  Ky,  October  8th,  1862.  Discharged  March  i3th. 
1863,  at  Cincinnati,  O. 

SOLOMAN  HARDIN,  enlisted  August  i2th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Put  on  Hospital  Boat  J.  C. 
Swan,  January  23d,  1863,  at  Young's  Point.  Died  January 
,  1863,  of  typhoid  fever. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I.  175 

GF.ORGE  HARBINGER,  enlisted  August  i2th,  1862.  Battle: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Put  on  Steamer  Fanny  Bullet,  January 
i2th,  1863.  Died  on  Steamer  while  going  up  river,  January 
24th,  1863. 

JOHN  H.  HKSS,  enlisted  August  9th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau, 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile,  Ala  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

THOMAS  HIBBITTS,  enlisted  August  pth,  1862  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Died  at  Young's  Point,  La., 
February  i5lh,  1863,  of  typhoid  fever. 

JOHN  HARDIN,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Detailed  to  iyth  Ohio  Battery, 
April  ist,  1863.  Port  Gibson,  Raymond.  Jackson,  Champion 
Hills,  Vicksburg,  Big  Black.  Returned  to  Company  June 
i yth,  1864.  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and 
Mobile,  Ala.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

DANIEL  HENRY,  enlisted  August  i2th,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs,  Forts  Hindman  and  Vicksburg.  Detailed  to 
Pioneer  Corps  September  3d,  1863.  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine 
Cross-Roads  Returned  to  Company  July  i3th,  1864.  Forts 
Gaines  and  Morgan.  Detailed  March  loth,  1865,  to  Pioneer 
Corps.  Fort  Spanish  and  Mobile,  Ala.  Returned  to  Com 
pany,  and  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

SAMUEL  A.  HESS,  enlisted  August  i2th,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau, 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile,  Ala.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

DAVID  D.  IRILAND,  enlisted  August  i3th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Sent 
home  on  sick  furlough,  August  20th,  rX63.  Transferred  to 
Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

WILLIAM  KRTNG,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Fort  Hindman  and  Vicksburg. 
Sent  to  hospital  [une  23d,  1863.  Returned  to  regiment  Feb 
ruary,  1864.  Wounded  in  battle  at  Sabine  Cross-Roads, 
April  8th,  1864.  F<  rts  Gaines  and  Morgan.  Transferred  to 
•  ompany  E,  p6th  Battalion,  O.  V.  I.,  November  18,  [865. 

DANIEL  KEEPER,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Fluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Promoted  to  Corporal  March 
ist,  1^63.  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau  and  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile,  Ala.  Mustered  out 
with  regiment. 


170  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

WILLIAM  P.  LAFEVER,  enlisted  August  loth,  1862.  Battles:  Chick- 
asaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Sent  to  hospital  Aug 
ust  2oth,  1863.  Returned  to  duty  December  i5th,  1863. 
Detached  as  guard  and  sent  to  New  Orleans,  La.,  March  i3th, 
1864.  Returned  May  26th,  1864.  Forts  Gaines  and  Mor 
gan.  Transferred  to  Company  D,  <j6th  Battalion.  O.  V.  I., 
November  i8th,  1864,  by  consolidation. 

GEORGE  LEMMAR,  enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka- 
saw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Taken 
prisoner  at  the  battle  of  Grand  Coteau,  November  3d,  1863. 
Exchanged  December  25th,  1863.  Taken  prisoner  at  the 
battle  of  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  April  8th,  1854..  Exchanged 
October  23d,  1864  Fort  Spanish  and  Mobile.  Ala.  Mas 
tered  out  with  regiment. 

WILLIAM  LINK,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman  and  Vicksburg.  Sent  to  hospital  in 
rear  of  Vicksburg,  June  23d,  1863.  Returned  to  duty  No 
vember  22d,  1863.  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and 
Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile,  Ala.  Mustered  out  of 
service  June  6th,  1865.  Discharged  at  Mobile,  Ala. 

WILLIAM  Me  H.  LAFFKREE,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman  and  Vicksburg.  Left  sick 
at  Carrollton,  La.,  October  3d.  1863.  Discharged  December 
8th,  1863. 

MILFORD  LEWIS,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Discharged  March  24th, 
1863. 

JAME,  MYERS,  enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Died  at  Young's  Point,  La.,  Feb 
ruary  2ist,  1863,  of  typhoid  fever. 

GEORGE  McCiURG,  enlisted  August  9th,  1862.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral  October  25th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs  and 
Fort  Hindman.  Promoted  to  Sergeant  May  ist,  1863.  Re 
ceived  commission  as  2d  Lieutenant  May  i5th,  1863.  Bat 
tles  :  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau  and  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads.  Mustered  as  ist  Lieutenant  June  i4th,  1854.  Hom^ 
on  furlough  June  15 th,  1864.  Returned  August  3 ist,  1864. 
Battles:  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan.  Mustered  out  with 
regiment. 

SAMUEL  MORRISON,  enlisted  August  i3th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Left  sick  at  Milliken's 
Bend,  La.,  April  i4th,  1863.  Discharged  December  14th, 
1863. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   I.  177 

NATHAN  W.  MINARD,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Vicksburg.  Taken  prisoner  at  Grand 
Coteau  November  3d,  1863.  Exchanged  May  9th,  1864. 
Battles:  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgans.  Transferred  to  Co. 
E,  96th  Battalion.  O.  V.  L,  November  i8th,  1864,  by  consol 
idation. 

JEREMIAH  OXLEY,  enlisted  August  uth,  1862.  Battles:  Chick- 
asaw  Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Promoted  to  Corporal 
March  ist,  1863.  Battle:  Vicksburg.  Died  at  Division 
Hospital,  rear  of  Vicksburg,  July  9th,  1863,  of  conjestive 
chi.ls. 

MORRIS  PENROSE,  enlisted  August  i2th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chicka- 
saw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Re 
ceived  a  furlough  of  thirty  days,  August  ist,  1863  Returned 
September  4th,  1863.  Taken  prisoner  at  battle  of  Grand 
Coteau,  November  3d,  1863.  Exchanged  May  9th,  1864. 
Battles:  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mo 
bile,  Ala. 

IRA  M.  PHILLPIS,  enlisted  August  1 2th,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka- 
saw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman  and  Vicksburg.  Sent  to  hospital  in 
rear  of  Vicksburg  July  4th,  1863;  returned  to  duty  December 
9th,  1863  ;  detached  as  guard  with  division  supply  train  March 
1 5th,  1864.  Battle  of  Sabine  Cross-Roads.  Returned  to 
regiment  July  22d,  1864.  Battles  of  Forts  Gaines  and  Mor 
gan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile,  Ala.  Mustered  out  with  regi 
ment. 

THOMAS  PARKER,  enlisted  August  i2th,  1862.  Battle:  Chicka- 
saw  Bluffs.  Died  at  Young's  Point,  La.,  February  i6th,  1863. 
of  typhoid  fever. 

BENJAMIN  RHODES,  enlisted  August  2d,  1862.  Left  sick  at  Nich- 
olasville,  Ky.,  November  nth,  1862.  Died  January  26th, 
1863,  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  of  typhoid  fever. 

MARQUIS  D.  L  REDDING,  enlisted  August  i3th,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand 
Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Span 
ish  Fort  and  Mobile,  Ala.  Mustered  out  with  regirne.it. 

JOHN  R.  ROWLEY,  enlisted  August  iith,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Left  sick  at  Milliken's  Bend, 
La.,  April  i4th,  1863.  Returned  to  regiment  June  ist,  1863. 
Battles :  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile, 
Ala.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 


178  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   L 

JOHN  RICE,  enlisted  August  i2th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Died  on  board  hospital  boat  D 
A.  January,  March  8th,  1863,  of  chronic  diarrhea. 

JOHN  P.  REYNOLDS,  enlisted  July  25,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman,  Vicksburg,  Jackson.  Received  a  fur 
lough  of  thirty  days  August  ist,  1863.  Returned  September 
4th,  1863.  Taken  prisoner  at  battle  of  Grand  Coteau  Novem 
ber  3d,  1863.  Exchanged  May  9th,  1864.  Battle  of  Forts 
Gaines  and  Morgan.  Detailed  as  Printer  of  the  Army  of  the 
Southwest  February  i6th,  1865. 

SQUIRE  ROBINSON,  enlisted  August  9th,  1862.  Banks :  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Put  on  hospital  boat  J.  C. 
Swan  Jan.  22d,  1863.  No  official  notice ;  supposed  to  be  dead. 

SAMUEL  STOKES,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman  and  Vicksburg.  Sent  to  hospital 
June  23d,  1863.  Returned  November  8th,  1863.  Taken  pris 
oner  a4;  Sabine  Cross-Roads  April  8th,  1864.  Exchanged  Oc 
tober  23d,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  E  November 
i8th,  1864. 

LORING  L.  SEVFRNS,  enlisted  August  gth,  1862.  Left  sick  at 
Covington,  Ky.,  October  8th,  1862.  Returned  November 
7th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman,  Vicks 
burg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Spanish 
Fort  and  Mobile,  Ala.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

BENJAMIN  SHIRR,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Detailed  to  iyth  Ohio  Bat 
tery  April  ist,  1863.  Battles  :  Raymond,  Port  Gibson,  Jack 
son,  Champion  Hills,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau.  Returned 
to  company  June  lyth,  1864.  Sent  to  hospital,  New-Orleans, 
La.,  July  2oth,  1864.  Returned  to  duty  September  6th,  1864. 
Transferred  to  Company  D  November  i8th,  1864. 

JOHN  G  SMITH,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862  Left  sick  at  Nich- 
olasville,  Ky.,  November  nth,  1862.  Died  November  i3th, 
1863,  of  typhoid  fever. 

HENRY  H.  SEVERNS,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  .Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Co 
teau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads.  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan.  Sent 
to  general  hospital  at  Fort  Gaines  August  27th,  1864.  Re 
turned  to  company  May  i5th,  1865. 

JOHN  SLAYMON,  enlisted  August  i2th.  1862.     Battles:     Chicka 
saw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.     Sent  to 
hospital  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  August  2oth,  1863.      Died  Sep 
tember  ist,  1863. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   I.  179 

WILLIAM  H.  SCARBROUGH,  enlisted  August  i2th,  1862.  Chicka- 
saw  Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Promoted  to  Corporal  April 
ist,  1863.  Engaged  at  Vicksburg.  Sent  to  hospital  rear  of 
Vicksburg  July  4th,  1863.  Returned  to  company  July  igth. 
1863.  Battle  of  Grand  Coteau.  Promoted  to  Sergeant  De 
cember  22d,  1863.  Engaged  at  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts 
Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile,  Ala.  Wounded 
at  battle  of  Grand  Coteau.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

ROBERT  T.  STILLEY,  enlisted  August  i2th,  1862.  Left  at  Cov- 
ington,  Ky.,  October  8th,  1862.  Returned  June  6th,  1864. 
Battles :  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mo 
bile,  Ala.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

JOHN  C.  TRESS^L,  enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka- 
saw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Detailed 
as  guard  at  Berwick  City  October  8th,  1863.  Returned  to 
company  November  — ,  1863.  Taken  prisoner  in  battle  of 
Sabine  Cross-Roads  April  8th,  1864.  Exchanged  October 
22d,  1864.  Battles  of  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile,  Ala.  Sent 
to  hospital  at  Mobile  April  igth,  1865.  Returned  to  company 
June  — ,  1865.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

GEORGE  W.  TISH,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  .Battles:  Chick  - 
asaw  Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Promoted  to  Corporal 
March  ist,  1863.  Battles  at  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Taken 
prisoner  in  battle  of  Grand  Coteau,  November  3d,  1863.  Ex 
changed  May  gth,  1864.  Battles  of  Forts  Gaines  and  Mor 
gan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile,  Ala.  Mustered  out  with  regi 
ment. 

ALFRED  A.  THAYER,  enlisted  August  i3th,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson. 
Sent  to  hospital  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  August  2oth,  1863.  Re 
turned  to  duty  December  ist,  1863.  Sent  to  hospital  at 
New-Orleans  March  i6th,  1864.  Returned  to  company  Sep 
tember  6th,  1864.  Battles  of  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile,  Ala. 
Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

ISAIAH  J.  THAYER,  enlisted  August  i3th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Died  at  Milliken's  Bend. 
La.,  April  2d,  1863,  of  chronic  diarrhea. 

CHARLES  TRESS,  enlisted  July  25th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Put  on  boat  J.  C.  Swan  January 
23d,  1863.  Died  January  28th,  1863.  Disease  unknown. 

DAVID  WRIGHT,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Died  on  steamer  Louisville, 
January  24th,  1863.  Chronic  diarrhea. 


180  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    (X  V.   I. 

WILLIAM  A.  WRIGHT,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles  :  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Put  on  hospital  boat  D.  A. 
January  March  6th.  1863.  Died  March  loth,  1863.  Chronic 
diarrhea. 

ZACHARIAH  WOKKMAN,  enlisted  August  i2th,  1862.  Left  sick  at 
Covington,  Ky.,  October  8th,  1862.  Returned  to  company 
January  29th,  1863.  Put  on  hospital  boat  D.  A.  January 
March  6th,  1863.  Battle:  Vicksburg.  Taken  prisone/  at 
Grand  Coteau  November  3d,  1863.  Exchanged  May  pth, 
1864.  Sent  to  hospital  at  New-Orleans  July  30th,  1864.  Re 
turned  to  company  January  — ,  1865.  Battles:  Spanish 
Fort  and  Mobile,  Ala.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

GEORGE  WEIRICH,  enlisted  August  i3th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick- 
asaw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines 
and  Morgan.  Left  in  hospital  at  Fort  Gaines  August  Qth, 
1864. 

JOHN  W.  WALKER,  enlisted  August  i2th,  1862.  Left  at  Coving- 
ton,  Ky.,  October  8th,  1862.  Returned  October  i4th,  1862. 
Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman.  Left  sick  at 
Milliken's  Bend,  La.,  April  i4th,  1863.  Returned  to  regiment 
May  8th,  1863.  Sent  to  Young's  Point,  La.,  May  3oth,  1863. 
Died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  June  25th,  1863,  of  chronic  diarrhea. 

ORIN  L.  WALTER,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Fort  Hindman,  Vicksburg,  Jackson  and  Grand  Coteau. 
Promoted  to  Corporal  January  ist,  1864.  Killed  in  battle 
at  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  April  8th,  1864. 

CYRENIUS  WHEATCRAFT,  enlisted  August  9th,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Put  on  hospital  boat 
J.  C.  Swan  January  22d,  1863.  Died  January  28th,  1863. 

JACOB  YOUNG,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Promoted  to  Corporal  March  ist, 
1863.  Promoted  to  Sergeant  May  i5th,  1863.  Battles: 
Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Killed  in  battle  at  Grand  Coteau, 
November  3d,  1863. 

JOHN  W.  WALTER,  enlisted  January  i6th,  1864.  Battles:  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan.  Transferred  to 
Company  E  November  i8th,  1864. 

GEORGE  A.  WALTER,  enlisted  February  nth,  1864.  Battle:  Sa 
bine  Cross-Roads.  Sent  to  hospital  at  Baton  Rouge,  La., 
July  2oth,  1864.  Transferred  to  company  D  November  i8th, 
1864. 

FRANKLIN  HILL,  enlisted  February  2d,  1864.  Died  in  camp  hos 
pital  at  Baton  Rouge,  La.,  June  i3th,  1864. 


SERVICES   O?    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  1.  181 

COMPANY  C. 


LEVI  REICHELDERFER,  Captain.  Was  engaged  in  the 
battles  of  Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Resigned 
commission  March  26th,  1863. 

THOMAS  E.  SHUNK,  ist  Lieutenant.  Was  in  the  battle  of 
Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Died  March  27th,  1863,  at  Milliken's 
Bend,  La. 

DAVID  A.  STARK,  2d  Lieutenant.  In  the  engagements  at 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  siege  of  Vicksburg,  Jackson  and  Grand 
Coteau,  La.  Appointed  Adjutant  June  26th,  1863;  resigned 
commission. 

MORRIS  BURNS,  ist  Sergeant.  No  battles.  Discharged  for  dis 
ability  March  nth,  1863,  at  Young's- Point,  La. 

JOHN  W.  GODMAN,  2d  Sergeant.  Participated  in  the  battles  at 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Miss.,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg  and  Jack 
son.  Was  taken  prisoner  at  Grand  Coteau,  November  3d;  ex 
changed  December  25th,  1863.  Promoted  to  ist  Lieutenant 
March  27th,  1863,  vice  Shunk,  deceased.  Transferred  to  Co. 
E,  96th  O.  V.  L,  November  i8th,  1864.  Was  at  the  siege  of 
Spanish  Fort,  La.,  and  the  capture  of  Mobile,  Ala. 

CHARLES  O.  OLDFIELD,  3d  Sergeant.  Was  promoted  to  2d 
Lieutenant  January  26th,  1863,  and  to  ist  Lieutenant  Nov. 
1 8th,  1864.  Was  at  the  battles  of  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  siege  of 
Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and 
Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  the  capture  of  Mobile.  Mustered 
out  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  July  yth,  1863. 

HUGH  G.  RODGERS,  4th  Sergeant.  Was  at  Chickasaw  Bluffs. 
Discharged  for  disability  February  nth,  1863. 

ELI  B.  MINER,  5th  Sergeant.  Was  at  the  battle  of  Chickasaw 
Bluffs.  Discharged  November  23d,  1863,  for  disability. 

JOHN  KEHRMECKER,  ist  Corporal.  Was  promoted  to  Sergeant 
September  2oth,  1862.  Battles  of  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkan 
sas  Post  and  siege  of  Vicksburg.  Died  July  lyth,  1864,  at 
Vicksburg,  Miss. 

HARRISON  DOTV,  2d  Corporal,  was  promoted  to  Sergeant 
March  ist,  1863.  Battles  of  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas 
Post,  Port  Gibson,  Black  River  and  siege  of  Vicksburg.  Was 
captured  at  the  battle  of  Grand  Coteau,  November  3d,  1863 ; 
exchanged  December  25th,  1863.  Sabine  Cross  Roads,  Forts 
Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  capture  of  Mobile. 
Discharged  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  July  7th,  1865. 


VOX  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   I. 

/ 

GEORGE  M.  SCOTT,  3d  Corporal.  Promoted  to  ist  Sergeant, 
March  2yth,  1863;  promoted  to  Regimental  Chaplain,  June 
24th,  1863.  Battles:  Siege  of  Vicksburg,  Jackson, — was 
captured  in  the  battle  of  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  April  8th,  1863, 
and  paroled  June  ist,  1863, — Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan. 
Resigned  Commission. 

ROBERT  P.  DEMUTH,  4th  Corporal.  Died  February  yth,  1863,  at 
Jefferson  Barracks,  Mo. 

AMOS  FELL,  5th  Corporal.  Battles  :  Siege  of  Vicksburg,  Jackson, 
Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Cane  River,  Forts  Gaines 
and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  capture  of  Mobile.  Mustered 
out  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  July  yth,  1865. 

GEORGE  S.  SINGER,  6th  Corporal.  Battles  of  Chickasaw  Bluffs, 
Arkansas  Post,  siege  of  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile, 
Ala.  Was  discharged  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  May  24th, 'for  dis 
ability. 

JACOB  W.  DALRYMPLE,  yth  Corporal.  Was  promoted  to  Sergeant 
March  2 yth,  1863,  to  ist  Sergeant  April  3oth,  1864,  and  2d 
Lieutenant  December  i6th,  1864.  Battles  of  Vicksburg, 
Jackson,  Sabine  Cross  -  Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan, 
Spanish  Fort,  Ala.,  and  capture  of  Mobile,  Ala.  Mustered 
out  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  July  yth,  1865. 

CLIFTON  M.  WOOD,  8th  Corporal.  Transferred  to  Veteran 
Reserve  Corps,  for  disability,  April  8th,  1864. 

WILBIR  F.  BARR,  ist  Musician.  Discharged  for  disability  June 
loth,  1863. 

JOHN  G.  MKTZNER,  2d  Musician.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs, 
Arkansas  Post,  Sabine  Cross  Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and 
Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  capture  of  Mobile,  Ala.  Mustered 
out  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  July  yth,  1865. 

JACOB  R.  LYON,  Wagoner.  Accompanied  the  Regiment  as 
teamster  on  the  Red  River  expedition,  to  Spanish  Fort 
Mobile.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  July  yth,  1865. 

PRIVATES. 

REUBEN   ALDRICH.     Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  May 

28th,   1863. 
DAVID  BARBER.     Battle:  Chickasaw  Bluffs.     Died  January  22d, 

1863,  at  Young's  Point,  La. 
CICERO    D.    BRENIZER.       Discharged    October    loth,    1862,    at 

Columbus,  Ohio. 


^  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  18H 

JOSHUA  BROKAW.  Died  at  Bowling  Green,  Ky.,  January  zoth, 
1863. 

SMITH  BARRETT.  Discharged  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  December 
I9th,  1862. 

NEWTON  M.  BEACH.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas 
Post.  , 

JOHN  F.  BURDINE.  Battle  :  Siege  of  Vicksburg.  Taken  prisoner 

at  the  battle  of  Sabine  Cross  -  Roads,  exchanged . 

Battles  of  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  at 
Mobile,  Ala.,  July  yth,  1865. 

JOHN  F.  BENNETT.  Discharged  at  Memphis,  Term.,  January 
i5th,  1863. 

THOMAS  BARBER.  Discharged  January  i4th,  1864,  at  New- 
Orleans,  La. 

HAMPTON  BROWN.  Died  near  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  January  2d, 
1863. 

ALFRED  J.  BEATTY,  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post, 
siege  of  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Wounded  at  the  battle  of 
Grand  Coteau,  La.,  November  3d,  8863.  Transferred  to 
Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  April  8th,  1864. 

PETER  BATTEY.  Battles:  Siege  of  Spanish  Fort  and  capture  of 
Mobile,  Ala.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  July  yth,  1865. 

SPENCER  BOOKER.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post, 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  flobile. 
Mustered  out  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  July  yth,  1865. 

ROBERT  T.  BARGE.  Siege  of  Vicksburg,  Forts  Gaines  and 
Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  capture  of  Mobile.  Mustered  out 
at  Mobile,  Ala.,  July  yth,  1865. 

HENRY  S.  BUNKER.  Employed  at  Regimental  Commissary. 
Appointed  Commissary  Sergeant,  March  4th,  1863.  Partici 
pated  in  all  the  engagements  of  the  Regiment.  Mustered  out 
at  Mobile,  Ala.,  July  yth,  1865. 

GEORGE  W.  BARNHARD.  Battle :  Arkansas  Post.  Died  February 
3d,  1863,  at  Young's  Point,  La. 

WILLIAM  BARNHARD.  Died  December  28th,  1863,  near  Vicks 
burg,  Miss. 

JAMES  A.  CUNNINGHAM.  Battle :  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Died,  April, 
1863,  near  Memphis,  Tenn. 

GEORGE  W.  CURREN.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas 
Post.  Wounded  at  Arkansas  Post,  from  the  effects  of  which 
he  died  January  26th,  1863. 


184  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

FRANCIS  M.  CURREN.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas 
Post,  siege  of  Vicksburg,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish 
Fort  and  capture  of  Mobile,  Ala.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile, 
Ala.,  July  yth,  1865. 

JAMES  H.  COOMER.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas 
Post.  Died  April  2d,  1863,  at  Milliken's'Bend,  La. 

ALBERT   S.  COOMER.     Died   January   i2th,   1863,  near  Arkansas 

Post,  Ark. 

GILBERT  G.  CRONK.  Battles  :  Siege  of  Vicksburg,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  capture 

of  Mobile,  Ala. 
LEWIS  C.    CROWL.      Battles:       Chickasaw   Bluffs   and   Arkansas 

Post.     Transferred  to    Veteran    Reserve    Corps,     November 

roth,  1863. 
ELLIOT  CARHART. 
BENSON  A.  CONWAY.     Battle :     Chickasaw  Bluffs.       Discharged 

March  25th,  1863. 
JACOB  P.  CRATT,     Battle :     Chickasaw  Bluffs.     Died  at  Young's 

Point,  La.,  February  9th,  1863. 
JOHN  H.  CLICK.     Battles :     Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post. 

Died  at  Milliken's  Bend,  La.,  April  26th,  1863. 
ALBERT  G.  CARIS.     Died  near  Cario,   111.,  December  nth,  1862. 

JAMES  W.  CLARK.  Battle :  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Discharged  at 
Young's  Point,  La.,  March  nth,  1863, — since  died. 

CYRUS  DEVORE.  Battle  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Killed  in  the  battle 
of  Arkansas  Post,  January  nth,  1863. 

ELISHA  EVERTS.  Battle  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Died  near  Arkansas 
Post,  January  loth,  1863. 

WILLIAM  FARIS.  Battles:  'Chickasaw  Bluffs,  siege  of  Vicksburg 
and  Jackson.  Discharged  for  disability  arising  from  wounds 
received  by  explosion  of  the  steamboat  City  of  Madison  at 
Vicksburg. 

EDWIN  FROST.     Died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  December  3oth,  1863. 

JAMES  J.  GILKISON.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post, 
Vicksburg,  Jackson  and  Grand  Coteau.  Killed  at  the  battle 
of  Sabine  Cross  Roads,  La.,  April  8th,  1863. 

HENRY  S.  GREEN,  Promoted  to  Plospital  Steward  March  ist, 
1863.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  July  yth,  1865. 

JOSIAH  T.  HOWARD.  Battle  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Died  at  Young's 
Point,  La.,  January  29th,  1863. 


SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  185 

JESSE  H.  HUDSON.  Battles :  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines 
and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  at 
Mobile,  Ala.,  July  yth,  1865. 

ANDREW  HART.  Battles:  Chickasavv  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post, 
Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Captured  in  battle  at  Grand  Coteau, 
La.,  November  3d,  1863;  exchanged  December  25th,  1863. 
Battles :  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan, 
Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile,  Ala., 
July  jth,  1865. 

OSCAR  N.  HARVEY.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post 
and  Vicksburg. 

GEORGE  W.  HENRY.  Discharged  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  July  2d, 
1863. 

JEFFERSON  HARRIS.  Discharged  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  December 
23d,  1863. 

COLEMAN  HOLLINGSWORTH.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkan 
sas  Post,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson. 

LARKIN  HOBBS.  Battle  :  Siege  of  Vicksburg.  Discharged  August 
8th,  1863. 

FRANCIS  M.  HARRIS.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas 
Post, Vicksburg,  Jackson,  (wounded  at  Grand  Coteau)  Spanish 
Fort  and  capture  of  Mobile.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile,  Ala., 
July  7th,  1865. 

SILAS  E.  IDLEMAN.  Battles:  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Captured 
at  Grand  Coteau,  November  3d,  1863;  exchanged  December 
25th,  1863.  Battles:  Spanish  Fort  and  capture  of  Mobile. 
Mustered  out  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  July  7th,  1865. 

GEORGE  T.  JAMISON.      Discharged  at  Columbus,  O.,  January  3ist, 

1863. 

CHARLES  JONES.     Discharged  April  3d,  1863. 
SAMUEL    L.    KEMERER.      Battles :       Spanish    Fort    and    Mobile. 

Mustered  out  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  July  7th,  1865. 
DANIEL  LINDER.     Battles  ;    Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post  ; 

at  the  latter  was  killed  January  n,  1863. 

GEORGE  B.  LEE.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jack 
son.  Was  captured  at  Grand  Coteau,  November  30!,  1863; 
paroled  December  3ist,  1863  ;  exchanged  May  ist,  1864. 
Battles :  Forts  Gains  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  capture 
of  Mobile.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  July  7th,  1865. 

LEROY  LAWHEAD.  Battle  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Discharged  March 
22d,  1863. 

13 


186  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I. 

CHANCY  LEWIS.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson. 
Was  captured  at  Grand  Coteau.  November  3d  ;  paroled  De 
cember  25th,  1863  ;  exchanged  May  i,  1864.  Battles  :  Forts 
Gains  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out 
at  Mobile,  Ala.,  July  7th,  1865. 

DANIEL  McCbARY.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post, 
Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross- Roads, 
Forts  Gains  and  Morgan.  Was  taken  prisoner  by  the  enemy 
near  Fish  River,  Ala.,  March  gth,  1865.  Lost  by  burning  of 
steamer  Sultana,  April  28th,  1865. 

JOSEPH  WETHENY.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post. 
Died  May  25th,  1863,  at  James'  Plantation,  La. 

JOHN  B.  MAY.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Sa 
bine  Cross-Roads,  Cane  River,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Forts 
Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  capture  of  Mobile. 
Mustered  out  of  service  at  Mobile,  Ala,,  July  7th,  1865. 

DAVID  C.  MARVIN.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post. 
Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mus 
tered  out  at  Mobile,  Ala..  July  7th,  1865. 

LEVI  MILLER.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Vicksburg.  Was 
captured  at  Grand  Coteau.  Paroled  December  25th,  1863. 
Exchanged  May  ist,  1864.  Battles:  Forts  Gaines  and  Mor 
gan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Transferred  to  Company  E 
November  i8th,  1864. 

PELEG  B.  PURVIS.  Battle :  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Discharged  May 
7th,  1863.  • 

OLIVER  P.  PHILLIPS.  Battle:  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Died  February 
5th,  1863,  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  Mo. 

OBED  ROBGERS.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post. 
Died  May  i7th,  1863,  at  Milliken's  Bend,  La. 

EZRA  D.  SHREVE.  Battles  :  Siege  of  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau, 
Cane  River,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan  and  Spanish  Fort. 
Transferred  to  company  D,  96th  Battalion  Ohio  Volunteers. 

MATTHEW  D.  SMITH.  Battles:  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Span 
ish  Fort  and  capture  of  Mobile.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile 
July  7th,  1864. 

DAVID  SELLERS. 

DE  WITT  C.  SAN  FORD.  Promoted  to  Corporal  March  J5th,  1863  ; 
to  Sergeant  August  i.  1863.  Battles:  Vicksburg,  Jackson, 
Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Cane  River,  Forts  Gaines 
and  Morgan.  Mustered  out  of  service  November  24th,  1864. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I.  187 

IIENRY  SANDERSON.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg, 
Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabirie  Cross-Roads,  Fort  Gaines  and 
Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  capture  of  Mobile,  Mustered  out 
July  yth,  1865. 

FORTUNATUS  SHERMAN.  Battle:  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Died  February 
1 3th,  r863,  at  Young's  Point,  La. 

ALPHEUS  SCOFIELD.  Battles.  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Qaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  capture 
of  Mobile.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile  July  ;th,  1865. 

RICHARD  A.  ST.  CLARE.     Discharged  November  3d,  1862. 

CHESTER  THOMPSON.  Battles :  Siege  of  Vicksburg,  Jackson, 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  capture  of  Mobile.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile  July  yth, 
1865. 

ANDREW  UNDERWOOD.     Discharged   March  2oth,    1863,  at  Milli 
ken's  Bend,  La. 

CALEB  UNDERWOOD.  Battle:  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Died  March 
9th,  1863,  at  Young's  Point,  La. 

WILLIAM  WHEELER.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg  and 
Jackson.  Killed  in  battle  of  Grand  Coteau,  La.,  November 
3d,  1863. 

GEORGE  W.  WOLF.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post, 
Vicksburg,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan, 
Spanish  Fort  and  capture  of  Mobile.  Mustered  out  of  ser 
vice  July  yth,  1865. 

ELIAS  WHITE.     Died  March  2ist,  1863.  at  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

ALBERT  D.  WHITE.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas 
Post.  Died  at  Milliken's  Bend,  La.,  March  22d,  1863. 

PETER  D.  WILSON.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post, 
Port  Gibson,  Black  River.  Detailed  in  Pioneer  Corps. 
Battles:  Champion  Hills  and  Vicksburg.  Was  captured 

near  Edward's  Station,  Miss., .     Battle  :     Grand 

Coteau.     Wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at  the  battle  of  Sabine 
Cross-Roads.     Battles:     Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

WILLIAM  WEVER.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg;  cap 
tured  in  the  engagement  at  Grand  Coteau,  La.,  November 
3d,  1863  ;  paroled  December  25th,  1863;  exchanged  May  ist, 
1864.  Battles:  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  July  7th,  1865. 

JOHN  WAITS.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicks 
burg. 


188  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I. 

JULIUS  V.  WOOD.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post, 
Jackson  and  Vicksburg.  Wounded  in  the  engagement  at 
Grand  Coteau  and  discharged  January  roth,  1864. 

HENRY  C.  WELLS.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post, 
Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Discharged  May  24th,  1865. 

RECRUITS. 

JOHN  W.  MYERS.  Enlisted  January  5th,  1864.  Died  at  Brashear, 
La.,  March  pth,  1864. 

JAMES  N.  MILLER.  Enlisted  December  28th,  1863.  Battles : 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile.  Transferred  to  the  77th  Ohio  Infantry  Veteran 
Volunteers  July  7th,  1865. 

ANDREW  J.  REED.  Enlisted  January  4th,  1864.  Died  July 
xoth,  1864,  at  New-Orleans,  La. 


COMPANY  D. 

W.  M.  DWYER,  Captain;  appointed  July  20,  1862.  Resigned 
January  28,  1863. 

J.    B.   WILLIAMS,  ist   Lieutenant;  appointed   August    8,  1862. 

Promoted  to  Captain  January  25,  1863.     Battles:  Chickasaw 

Bayou,  Arkansas  Post  and   Vicksburg.     Resigned  March  4, 

1864. 
THOMAS  LITZENBURG,  2d   Lieutenant;  appointed  July  20, 

1862.     Battle  :  Chickasaw  Bayou.      Resigned  March  22,  1863. 

J.  M.  GODMAN,  ist  Sergeant ;  promoted  to  ist  Lieutenant  January 
26,    1863;   promoted   to   Captain   March   4,1864.       Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Sabine  Cross-Roads 
Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan.     Resigned  November  18,  1864. 

R.  F.  BARTLETT,  2d  Sergeant ;  promoted  to  ist  Sergeant  January 
21,  1863,.  Battles':  Chickasaw  Bayou,  (wounded  in  head 
Arkansas  Post,)  Vicksburg  and  Carrion  Crow  ;  (wounded  at 
latter  place ;  left  arm  amputated.)  Discharged  January  25, 
1864. 

I).  BACHELDER,  3d  Sergeant ;  promoted  to  2d  Lieutenant  March 
23,  1863.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson, 
Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Mor 
gan.  Transferred  to  Co.  K,  96th  ().  V.  I. 


SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  189 

J.  W.  HAMNER,  4th  Sergeant.  Discharged  at  Columbus,  Ohio, 
October  27,  1863. 

I.  C.  SILLIK,  5th  Sergeant.  Discharged  at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  Feb 
ruary  25,  1863. 

WM.  REED,  ist  Corporal.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas 
Post,  (transferred  toiyth  Ohio  Battery  March,  1863,)  Grand 
Gulf,  Champion  Hill  and  Black  River  Bridge  ;  wounded  in 
the  head  at  Vicksburg.  Discharged  at  Memphis,  Tennessee, 
September  5,  1863. 

B.  F.  IRWIN,  2d  Corporal ;  appointed  Sergeant  February  28,  1863  ; 
appointed  ist  Sergeant  February  28,  1864.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau, 
Sabine  Cross  Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan.  Discharged 
November  18,  1864. 

A.  B.  McGowAN,  Corporal ;  appointed  Sergeant  February  28, 
1863.  Battles :  Chickasaw,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand 
Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Mobile,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan 
and  Spanish. 

I.  EALY.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  (accidentally  wounded,) 
Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Spanish  Fort  and 
Mobile. 

G.  W.  MONTGOMERY.  Battles:  Chickasaw,  Arkansas  Post  and 
Vicksburg.  Discharged  at  Carrollton,  La.,  September  16,  1863. 

PRIVATES. 

D.  L.  SMITH.     Died  at  Memphis  April  25,  1863. 
W.  H.  MESSINGER. 
R.  F.  JACOBS. 

C.  NICHOLS,   Musician.      Battles  :  Chickasaw,  Vicksburg,  Grand 

Coteau,  and  Sabine  Cross-Roads.     Transferred  to  Company 
E,  96th  O.  V.  I. 

M.  WALKER,  wagoner.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  and  Arkansas  Post. 
Discharged  at  Milliken's  Bend  March  13,  1863. 

D.  R.    BENDER,  appointed   Corporal   September   23,    1862;    ap 
pointed  Sergeant  February    25,   1863.     Battles:  Chickasaw, 
Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.     Transferred  to  V. 
R.  Corps  January  15,  1864. 

D.  BUTLER.  Battles:  Chickasaw,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg, 
Jackson,  (captured  at  Grand  Coteau  November  3,  1863  ;  ex 
changed  December  25,  1863,)  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts 
Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  and  Mobile. 


190  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O    V.   I. 

T.  J.  BAGGS.  Battle:  Chickasaw  Bayou.  Discharged  Novem 
ber  30,  1864,  at  mouth  of  White  River,  Arkansas. 

W.  H.  BRIGGS.      Transferred  to  V.  R.  Corps  November  28,  1863. 

R.  W.  BUSBY.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post. 
Died  at  St.  Louis  July  i,  1863. 

A.  G.  BARGER.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post, 
Vicksburg.  Jackson,  (captured  at  Grand  Coteau  November 
3,  1863;  exchanged  December  25,  1863;  slightly  wounded 
in  left  hand,)  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  and  Mobile. 

M.  BLANEY. 

L.  H.  BREKSK.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  (cap 
tured  at  Grand  Coteau  November  3,  1863 ;  exchanged 
December  25,  1863,)  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gains,  Mor 
gan  and  Spanish,  and  Mobile. 

1.  P.  BIRD.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post. 
Discharged  at  Milliken's  Bend,  March  21,  1863. 

G.  BLOW.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post. 
Died  at  Milliken's  Bend,  March  26,  1863. 

G.  BROWN.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  (wounded 
in  right  thigh,)  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort,  and 
Mobile. 

J.  BALTZLE.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson, 
Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Fort  Morgan,  Spanish 
Fort  and  Mobile. 

CHARLES  BAYNTON.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou  and  Arkansas 
Post.  Died  at  Vicksburg,  August  16,  1863. 

G.  BLANCHARD.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post, 
Vicksburg,  Jackson  and  Grand  Coteau;  killed  at  the  latter 
place,  November  3,  1863. 

D.  COLMERY.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicks 
burg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  P'orts 
Gaines  and  Morgan.  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

J.  F.  CROW. 

].  W.  COE  ;  promoted  to  Corporal  January  i,  1864.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau, 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish 
Fort  and  Mobile. 

H.  O.  COOPER.  Battle:  Chickasaw  Bayou.  Died  at  Milliken's 
Bend,  March  26,  1863. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  1.  191 

}.  C.  CAMPBELL.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Ark.  Post,  Vickshurg 
and  Grand  Coteau ;  wounded  at  the  latter  place  November 
3,  1863  ;  died  November  4,  1863. 

N.  CLARK.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post; 
wounded  at  the  latter  place.  T3ischarged  April  18,  1863. 

S.  R.  DILLE;  promoted  to  Corporal  May  i,  1864.  Battles: 
Vicksburg,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan, 
Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

A.  DAKEN.     Died  at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  January  10,  1863. 

W.  F.  DENNIS.     Died  at  Milliken's  Bend,  April  4,  1863. 

A.  J.  DENNIS.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post. 
Died  at  Young's  Point,  February  7,  1863. 

J.  DEVOLT.     Died  on  Yazoo  River,  January  i,  1863. 

J.  M.  DEWITT.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post, 
Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines 
and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

A.  DAVIS.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicks 
burg,  Jackson,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and 
Mobile. 

W.  W.  DALRYMPLE;  discharged  at  St.  Louis,  May  25,  1863. 

S.  P.  BvASTERDAY.  Battle:  Chickasaw  Bayou.  Discharged  at 
St.  Louis,  March  12,  1863. 

J.  C.  EAGER. 

D.  FERGUSON;  died  near  Napoleon,  Arkansas,  January  17,  1863, 
on  steamer  Hiawatha. 

J.  B.  FISHER  ;  promoted  to  Corporal  March  i,  1863  ;  promoted  to 
Sergeant  September  i,  1864.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou, 
Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Forts 
'  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

H.  FEEVERE.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicks 
burg,  Jackson  and  Grand  Coteau ;  wounded  at  the  latter 
place  in  both  legs — left  leg  amputated.  Died  at  New-Orleans, 
November  18,  1863,  by  reason  of  wounds  received  in  action. 

J.  N.  GEYER.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post. 
Wounded  by  shell  while  sleeping  in  his  tent  at  Vicksburg; 
died  July  10,  1863. 

A.  HALTERMAN.     Discharged  at  Columbus  April  29,  1863. 

A.  M.  HARPER.     Transferred  to  V.  R.  Corps,  February  15,  1864. 

J.  H.  HENNY.  Battles :  Arkansas  Post,  Port  Gibson,  Champion 
Hill,  Black  River,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 


192  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

J.  HINAMAN.  Battle :  Chickasaw  Bayou.  Discharged  at  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  June  23d,  1864. 

J.  HALL.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg, 
Jackson,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

G.  H.  JONES.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicks 
burg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts 
Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

H.  KILE.  Battle  :  Chickasaw  Bayou.  Died  on  steamer  J.  C. 
Swan,  January  26th,  1863. 

E.  KELLKR.  Battles  :  Jackson,  (captured  at  Grand  Coteau,  No 
vember  3d,  1863,  exchanged  May  ist,  1864,)  Forts  Gaines  and 
Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

B.  KENNEDY.     Battles:     Chickasaw    Bayou   and   Arkansas  Post. 

Died  at  Young's  Point,  March  6th,  [863. 

C.  H.  KENDLE.    Battles :    Chickasaw  Bayou    and  Arkansas  Post. 

Killed  in  action  at  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  April  8th  1864. 

J.  LYNCH. 

JAS.  LYNCH. 

JOHN  LYNCH. 

J.  LOGSDON.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicks 
burg,  Jackson,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Mor 
gan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

R.  D.  MCDONALD.  Battles:  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Span 
ish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

B.  W.  MCDONALD.      Battles:      Chickasaw  Bayou   and    Arkansas 

Post.     Died  at  Young's  Point  on  steamer  Nashville,  March 
1 5th,  1863. 

C.  MINOR.       Patties:      Chickasaw   Bayou,    Arkansas    Post    and 
Vicksburg.     Killed   by   the   blowing-up  of  the  steamer  City 
of  Madison  at  Vicksburg,  August  iQth,  1863. 

J.  H.  MIRACLE.     Died  near  Memphis,  April  nth,  1863. 

THOS.  MADON.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post. 
Died  at  Young's  Point,  La.,  February  loth,  1863. 

J.  M.  MARVIN.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou.  Wounded  at  Arkan 
sas  Post,  January  nth,  1863.  Died  of  wound  January  i8th, 
1863. 

M.  MANN.  Battle  :  Chickasaw  Bayou.  Died  on  steamer  Nash 
ville,  near  Milliken's  Bend,  La.,  March  22d,  1863. 

D.MAY.  Battle:  Chickasaw  Bayou.  Wounded  at  Arkansas  Post, 
January  nth,  1863.  Discharged  September  21,  1863.  Right 
arm  amputated. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I.  193 

J.MOORE.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post.  Died 
at  Young's  Point,  La.,  January  29th,  1863. 

C.  R.  MYLES.     Battles  :     Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicks- 

burg ;  wounded  in  head  at  Jackson,  wounded  in  thigh  at 
Grand  Coteau.  Transferred  to  Company  E. 

S.  A.  NUMBERS.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  (captur 
ed  at  Grand  Coteau,  exchanged  May  ist,  1864,)  Forts  Gaines 
and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

J.  PINEYARD.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicks 
burg,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Span 
ish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

W.  H.  F.  PARKER.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post 
and  Vicksburg.  Discharged  at  Vicksburg  August  8th,  1863. 

A.  PIKE.  Battle  :  Chickasaw  Bayou.  Discharged  at  Milliken's 
Bend,  March  2ist,  1863. 

A.  D.  REED.    Discharged  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  September  2oth,  1863. 

W.  W.  RUSSELL.  Battles :  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  (captured  at 
Grand  Coteau,  exchanged  May  ist,  1864,)  Fort£  Gaines  and 
Morgan.  Mustered  out  of  service  June  i9th,  1865,  at  Fort 
Gaines,  Ala. 

E.  A.  REED.  Battle  :  Chickasaw  Bayou.  Died  on  steamer  Nash 
ville,  at  Young's  Point,  La.,  March  i2th,  1863. 

D.  W.  REED.     Battles  :     Chickasaw  Bayou.  Arkansas  Post,  Vicks 

burg,  Jackson;  wounded  in  right  groin  and  taken  prisoner  at 
Grand  Coteau.  Died  in  hands  of  the  rebels  November  4th, 
1863,  of  wounds  received. 

A.  RAMEY.     Discharged  at  St.  Louis,  March  24th,   1863. 

W.  ROBERTS.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post  and 
Vicksburg.  Discharged  at  Carrollton,  La.,  September  i5th, 
1863. 

ALEXANDER  REED.     Died  December  4th,  1 863,  at  Memphis,  Tenn. 
J.  H.  SMITH.     Battles  :     Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicks 
burg,  Jackson. 

G.  W.  SLICK.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps.  Date  un 
known. 

GEORGE  SIMPSON.  Battle:  Chickasaw  Bayou.  Discharged 
February  iyth,  1863,  at  St.  Louis,  Mo. 


194  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.   I. 

H.  J.  SMITH  :  Battle  :  Vicksburg.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Re 
serve  Corps  September  ist,  1863. 

M.  SHIELDS.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post. 
Died  at  St.  Louis,  April  ipth,  1863' 

JOHN  SHOFFNER.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post  and 
Vicksburg.  Died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  August  25th,  1863. 

M.  B.  TALMAGE.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post. 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile,  Ala. 

WM.  VANATTE.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post, 
Vicksburg,  (captured  at  Grand  Coteau,  exchanged  May  ist, 
1864,)  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

C.  A.  VIRDEN.  Battle:  Vicksburg.  Discharged  November  3d, 
1864,  at  mouth  of  White  River,  Ark. 

THOS.  WATSON.  Battles  :  Vicksburg.  Captured  at  Grand  Coteau. 
Exchanged  December  25th,  1863.  Transferred  to  Veteran 
Reserve  Corps. 

J.  M.  YOUNG.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post. 
Died  on  steamer  Nashville,  March  i2th,  1863. 

THOS.  F.  ZUCK.  Appointed  Corporal  September  23d,  1862.  Bat 
tles  :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Spanish 
Fort  and  Mobile. 

H.  W.  FRANKS.  Appointed  Corporal  September  23d,  1862.  Bat 
tles  :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson. 
Wounded  at  Grand  Coteau,  November  3d,  r863.  Died  No 
vember  4th,  1863. 

RECRUITS. 

G.  P.  O'NEIL.  Battles :  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile. 

WM.  CAMPBELL.  Battles:  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish 
Fort  and  Mobile. 

JAS.  DUNNING.  Battles  :  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and 
Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

C.  TGTTINGHAM.  Battles:  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines 
and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile,  Ala. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   I.  195 

COMPANY  E. 


SAMUEL  COULTER,  Captain.  Appointed  July  24thr  1862. 
Participated  in  the  following  battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Ar 
kansas  Post,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Died  of  wounds  re 
ceived  at  the  battle  of  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  April  8th,  1864. 

MINARD  J.  LEFEVRE,  ist  Lieutenant.      Appointed  July  25th. 

1862.  Battles :      Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas   Post,   Vicks 
burg  and  Jackson.     Resigned  on  account  of  disability,  July 
24th,  1863. 

HENRY  T.  VAN  FLEET,  2d  Lieutenant.  Appointed  July 
24th,  1862.  Resignation  accepted  February  4th,  1863. 

VOLENTINE  LAPHAM,  isl  Sergeant  Enlisted  July  26th.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Morgan  and  Gaines  Promoted  to  ist  Lieuten 
ant  September  9th,  1863.  Mustered  out  as  supernumerary  at 
the  consolidation  of  the  regiment  at  the  mouth  of  White 
River,  Ark.,  Nov.  8th,  1864.  Was  wounded  in  the  battle  of 
Sabine  Cross-Roads. 

JAMES  DE  WOLFE,  Sergeant.  Enlisted  July  26,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post  and  Vicksburg.  Promoted 
to  2d  Lieutenant  March  ist,  1863.  Resigned  August  loth, 

1863.  Disability. 

WILLIAM  M.  COULTER,  Sergeant.  Enlisted  July  24th,  1862. 
Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Grand  Coteau 
and  Sabine  Cross-Roads.  Killed  in  the  last  named  engage 
ment. 

BENJAMIN  LITTLE,  Sergeant.     Enlisted  July  3 ist,  1862. 

BLOOMFIELD  W.  MARTIN,  Sergeant.  Enlisted  August  4th,  1862. 
Discharged  for  disability  March  2yth,  1863. 

JOHN  W.  FRIBLEY,  Corporal.  Enlisted  July  3ist,  1862.  Died  of 
measels,  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  December  26th,  1862. 

THOMAS  H.  CARTEL,  Corporal.  Enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Bat 
tles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Promoted  from 
Corporal  to  Sergeant  February  4th,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Veteran  Reserve  Corps  March  i$th,  1864. 

SAMUEL  TERPANY,  Corporal.  Enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Bat 
tles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Died  of  disease 
at  Young's  Point,  La.,  January  23d,  1863. 


196  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.    V.  I. 

JOHN  J.  ULSH,  Corporal.  Enlisted  August  2d,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Died  of  disease  at  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  February  i2th,  1863. 

HENRY  GILDEN,  Corporal.     Enlisted  August  4th,  1862. 

L.  D.  BOWEN,  Corporal.  Enlisted  August  i,  1862.  Battles : 
Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Discharged  for  disabil 
ity  March  lyth,  1863,  at  Columbus,  Ohio. 

WILLIAM  R.  WHITMARSH,  Corporal.  Enlisted  July  24th,  1862. 
Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jack 
son,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Spanish  Fort  and 
Mobile.  Promoted  from  Corporal  to  Sargeant  March  ist, 
1863.  Taken  prisoner  in  the  engagement  at  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads  April  8th,  1864.  Exchanged  October  23d,  1864.  Dis 
charged  at  Mobile,  Ala. 

CLARK  M.  WILSON,  Corporal.  Enlisted  August  5th,  1862  Bat 
tles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile.  Discharged  at  Mobile,  Ala. 

PRIVATES. 

JOSEPH  C  ARNOLD,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Co 
teau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Morgan  and  Gaines,  Spanish 
Fort  and  Mobile.  Promoted  to  Corporal  February  4th,  1863. 
Resigned  November  i8th,  1864.  Discharged  at  Mobile,  Ala. 

WM.  H.  BALLANTINE,  enlisted  July  3d,  1862.  Died  of  disease 
at  Louisville,  Ky.,  November  iyth,  1862. 

JAMES  BRATTON,  enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Forts  Morgan  and  Gaines,  Span 
ish  Fort,  Mobile,  Vicksburg,  Jackson  and  Sabine  Cross-Roads. 
Discharged  at  Mobile. 

JUSTIN  H.  BUNKER,  enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Died  of  disease 
January  29th,  1863,  at  Island  Eighty-two. 

COLLINS  BLAKELY,  enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine 
Cross  Roads,  Forts  Morgan  and  Gaines,  Spanish  Fort  and 
Mobile.  Promoted  from  private  to  Corporal  November  5th, 
1863.  Discharged  at  Mobile. 

CHARLES  BALDWIN,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Co 
teau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Morgan  and  Gaines,  Spanish 
Fort  and  Mobile.  Discharged  at  Mobile. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY  SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  197 

JOSEPH  BURT,  enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau, 
Sabine  Cross-  Roads,  Forts  Morgan  and  Gaines,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile.  Discharged  at  Mobile. 

MATTHEW  H.  BURT,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Killed  in  action 
at  Arkansas  Post. 

JOHN  F.  BURT,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Forts  Morgan  and  Gaines,  Sabine 
Cross-Roads  and  Cane  River.  Discharged  for  disability  May 
2d,  1865,  at  New-Orleans. 

JOHN  CHAMBERS,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Discharged  Feb 
ruary  1 8th,  1863,  for  disability,  at  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

NATHAN  CORWIN,  enlisted  July  26th,  1862.  Died  of  disease  at 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  March  28th,  1863. 

BENJAMIN  CAMM,  enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Discharged  July  29th,  1863, 
at  Vicksburg,  for  disability. 

MARION  F.  CORNE,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Died  of  disease  at  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  February  loth,  1863. 

SAMUEL  R.  DUMBLE,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Discharged 
March  iyth,  1863,  at  Columbus,  O. 

GEORGE  B.  DURFEE,  enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Died  of  disease 
February  i3th,  1863,  at  Marion,  O. 

SILAS  DICKERSON,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Discharged  August 
i5th,  1863,  at  Memphis,  rl  enn.,  for  disability. 

WESLEY  DICKERSON,  enlisted  August  i4th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Died  of  disease  February 
6th,  1863,  at  Young's  Point. 

IOHN  DICKERSON,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Died  of  disease  April  i6th, 
1863,  at  Milliken's  Bend. 

WILLIAM  Z.  DAVIS,  enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Discharged  February  24th, 
1863,  at  Columbus,  O. 

HENRY  DOWDY,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862. 

PUGLE  B.  EATHERTON,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand 
Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Morgan  and  Gaines, 
Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Transferred  to  Company  E. 

DAVID  FOLLETT,  enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Discharged  Decem 
ber,  24th,  1862,  at  Cincinnati,  O. 


198  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

SAMUEL  FINK,  enlisted  July  29th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Died  of  disease,  February  yth, 
1863,  at  Young's  Point. 

JAMES  H.  FOSTER,  enlisted  August  5th,  1862  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Co- 
teau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Morgan  and  Gaines,  Spanish 
Fort  and  Mobile.  Discharged  at  Mobile. 

CHARLES  W.  FIELDS,  enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Co- 
teau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Morgan  and  Gaines.  Died 
of  small-pox,  March  3d,  1865. 

AMOS  GOCHENOUR,  enlisted  July  3oth,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Re 
serve  Corps  February  i5th,  1864. 

HENRY  S.  GOODRICH,  enlisted  August  2,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Co- 
teau  and  Sabine  Cross-Roads.  Died  of  disease  at  Baton 
Rouge,  July  25th,  1864. 

HENRY  GLENN,  enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau, 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Morgan  and  Gaines,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile. 

WILLIAM  GARVIN,  enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Crand  Coteau, 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Morgan  and  Gaines,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile.  Discharged  at  Mobile. 

SIMON  GIESSEMAN,  enlisted  August  9th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Co 
teau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Morgan  and  Gaines,  Spanish 
Fort  and  Mobile.  Promoted  to  Sergeant  February  4th,  1863. 
Promoted  to  ist  Sergeant  June  3oth,  1864.  Promoted  to  2d 
Lieutenant  November  i8th,  1864 

DAVID  J.  HUMPHREY,  enlisted  August  ist,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads.  Transferred  to  Company  A  November  i8th,  1864. 
Discharged  at  Mobile. 

GEORGE  M.  HEFFLEBOWER,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson  and 
Grand  Coteau.  Transferred  to  Co.  E  November  18,  1864. 
Discharged. 

WILLIAM  K.  HUFF,  enlisted  July  3oth,  1862.  Battles  :  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Discharged  March  2ist,  1863, 
at  Milliken's  Bend,  La.,  for  disability. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  199 

MICHAEL  HUFFMAN,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Discharged  for 
disability  May  2d,  1863,  at  Columbus,  O. 

ISRAEL  IREY,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau, 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile.  Taken  prisoner  in  the  battle  of  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  April  8th,  1864.  Exchanged  June  i6th,  1864.  Dis 
charged  at  Mobile. 

LEANDER  IREY,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Died  of  disease  April  3oth,  1863, 
on  board  steamer  D.  A.  January. 

HARRISON  IREY,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles :  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Co 
teau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  and 
Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Discharged  at  Mobile. 

SYLVANUS  L.  JOHNSON,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Discharged  at  Vicksburg,  August  ist, 
1863,  for  disability. 

MATTAEW  JENKINS,  enlisted  August  4th,  1862. 

EDWARD  JEFFREY,  enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Co- 
tsau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  arid  Morgan,  Spanish 
Fort  and  Mobile.  Discharged  at  Mobile. 

JAMES  WALTER,  enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson  and  Grand  Coteau. 
Transferred  to  Signal  Corps  April  loth,  1863. 

GEORGE  W.  KNOWLES,  enlisted  July  3ist,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Co 
teau  and  Sabine  Cross  Roads,  La.  Killed  by  the  enemy  at 
Marksville,  La.,  May  i6th,  1864. 

DANIEL  KIBLER,  enlisted  August  2,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Died  of  Disease  February  i4th, 
1863,  at  Young's  Point,  La. 

ANDREW  J.  KNAPP,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson  and  Forts 
Gaines  and  Morgan.  Promoted  to  Corporal  February  4th, 

1863.  Discharged  at  Mobile. 

JAMES  W.  KNAPP,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Co 
teau  and  Sabine  Cross-Roads.  Taken  prisoner  in  the  last- 
mentioned  battle,  April  8th,  1864.  Exchanged  June  i6th, 

1864.  Promoted   to    Corporal    February   4th,    1863.     Dis 
charged  at  Mobile. 


200  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

CHARLES  A.  KING,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.     Battles:     Chick- 

asaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.     Died  of  disease  February 

3oth,  1864,  at  Young's  Point,  La. 
JOHN  A.  KELLEY,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862. 
JOHN  LOVE,  enlisted  August  2,  1862. 
ANDREW  J.  MONROE,  enlisted  August  2d,  1862.     Discharged  for 

disability  August  i6th,  1863,  at  Vicksburg,  Miss. 
ROBERT  MCWILLTAMS,  enlisted  August  ist,  1862.  Battles,  Chick- 

asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.     Died  of 

disease  November  yth,  1863,  at  Marion,  O. 
ISAAC  N.  MOUSER,  enlisted  August  5th,  1862,     Battles:     Chicka- 

asaw  Bluffs.     Died  of  disease  March  6th,   1863,  at  Young's 

Point,  La. 
WILLIAM    McMuRRAY,    enlisted    August    4th,    1862.       Battle: 

Chickasaw    Bluffs.     Discharged   April    i3th,    1863,  at  Milli- 

ken's  Bend,  La. 
RICHARD  T.  MILLS,  enlisted  August  5th,   1862.     Discharged  at 

Vicksburg,  Miss.,  July  29th,  1863. 

ALVIN  M.  NORTRUP,  enlisted  August  ist,  1862.     Battles:     Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,   Arkansas   Post   and  Vicksburg.     Transferred  to 

Vetrean  Reserve  Corps,  March  i5th,  1864. 
LEVI  NIXON,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.      Transferred  to  Veteran 

Reserve  Corps,  March  i5th,  1864. 
ANDERSON  OLIVER,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862. 
HENRY    H.  PAYNE,  enlisted  August  4th,  1862.     Discharged  for 

wounds  received  in  battle  of  Sabine  Cross -Roads,  April  8th, 

1864,  at  Columbus,  O.,  October  2oth,  1864. 

GEORGE  L.  PHELPS,  enlisted  August  5th,  1862.     Battles:     Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Co- 

teau,  Sabine  Cross   Roads  and   Forts  Gaines  and   Morgan. 

Discharged  at  Mobile. 
ASA    QUEEN,  enlisted  August  4th,  1862.      Battles:      Discharged 

December  24th,  1862,  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  for  disability. 
BENJAMIN  RHOADS,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.     Transferred  to  V. 

R.  C.,  November,  1864. 
ISAAC   J.   RILEY,  enlisted    July   26th,   1862.       Died  of  disease, 

March  6th,  1863,  at  Young's  Point,  La. 
HENRY  J.  SHEPHERD,  enlisted  August  8th,  1862.     Transferred  to 

Signal  Corps,  March  28th,  1864. 
WILLIAM  G.  SHUTE,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battle  :  Chickasaw 

Bluffs.     Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  January  i5th, 

1864. 


SERVICES   OF    THE   NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  '201 

HENRY  SOWERS,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Lied  of  disease  Jan 
uary  nth,  1863,  at  Arkansas  Post. 

FRANCIS  M.  SCRIBNER,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Discharged  at  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  March  loth,  1863,  from  wounds  received  at  Ar 
kansas  Post. 

JOSEPH  SULT,  enlisted  August  6th,  1X62.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau, 
Sabine  Cross-Roads  and  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan.  Mus 
tered  out  at  Greenville,  La.,  May  25th,  1865. 

STOKES  SMITH,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862. 

WILLIAM  VV.  SQUIBB,  enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Died  of  disease  March  3d,  1863, 
at  Young's  Point,  La. 

GEORGE W.  SQUIB,  enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Co 
teau  and  Sabine  Cross-Roads.  Taken  prisoner  at  the  latter 
named  battle,  April  8th,  1064.  Exchanged  October  23d, 
1864.  Battles:  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Discharged  at 
Mobile. 

RALPH  F.  SYKES,  enlisted  July  30th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs.  Discharged  for  disabilicy,  May  2d,  1864,  at  Roches 
ter,  New  York. 

CHARLES  SHOWERS,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau, 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish 
Fort  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile. 

JOSIAH  V.  STEVENSON,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand 
Coteau  and  Sabine  Cross  Roads.  Wounded  and  taken  pris 
oner  in  the  last-named  battle.  Exchanged  June  i6th,  1864. 
Promoted  to  Corporal  February  4th,  1863.  Promoted  to 
Sergeant  April  ist,  1864. 

PETER  C.  SNYDER,  enlisted  July  27th,  1862.  Battles:  Vicks 
burg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau.  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts 
Gaines  and  Morgan  and  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Trans 
ferred  to  Co.  D.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile. 

IRA  TUCKER,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Died  of  disease  May 
5th,  1863,  at  Milliken's  Bend. 

WILLIAM  H.  TUCKER,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862. 
14 


'202  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  1. 

JOSIAH  VOORHIES,  enlisted  July  3oth,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasavv 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Sabine  Cross  Roads  and  Forts  Gaines 
and  Morgan.  Transferred  to  Co.  E,  November  i8th,  1864. 
Mustered  out  at  Mobile. 

HENRY  VAN  BOSKIRK,  enlisted  July  3oth,  1862.  Battles:  Chick- 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Co- 
tau>  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Taken 
prisoner  at  Sabine  Cross- Roads  April  8th,  1864.  Exchanged 
October  23d,  1864.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile. 

BENJAMIN  J.  WILLIAMS,  enlisted  August  i2th,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau, 
Sabine  Cross  Roads.  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Transferred 
to  non-commissioned  staff  November  November  i8th,  1864. 
Mustered  out  at  Mobile. 

CHRISTOPHER  B.  WILKINS,  enlisted  July  29th,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand 
Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan. 
Transferred  to  Co.  A,  Novembejr  r8th,  1864.  Mustered  out 
at  Mobile. 

JAMES  A.  WAISON,  enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson  and  Grand 
Coteau.  Died  of  wounds  received  in  action  at  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  April  8th,  1864. 

JAMES  M.  WEST,  enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau, 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Fort  Spanish  and  Mobile.  Mustered 
out  with  regiment. 

JACOB  G.  WORTM AN,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Co 
teau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Fort 
vSpanish  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

JOHN  WADE,  enlisted  August  2d,  1862.  Died  of  disease  March 
ist,  1863,  at  Young's  Point. 

RECRUITS. 

NATHAN  BETTS,  enlisted  October  22d,  1863.  Battles:  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and 
Mobile.  Discharged  June  6th,  1865,  at  Mobile,  for  disability. 

PHILLIP  PLUMMER,  Musician.  Enlisted  January  4th,  1864. 
Battles:  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan, 
Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Transferred  to  yyth  O.  V.  V.  I.  at 
Mobile. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  t. 


JONATHAN  ROGERS,  enlisted  February  lyth,  1864.  Battle:  Sa- 
bine  Cross-Roads  Taken  prisoner  April  8th,  1864.  Ex 
changed  October  23d,  1864.  Battles  :  Spanish  Fort  and  Mo 
bile.  Transferred  to  77th  O.  V.  V.  I.,  at  Mobile. 

ISAAC  WILSON,  enlisted  October  24th,  1864.  Battles:  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and 
Mobile.  Transferred  to  77th  O.  V.  V.  I.,  at  Mobile. 


COMPANY  F. 

SOLOMON  B.  WEISER,  Captain.  Battle:  Chickasau  Bayou. 
Resigned  March  17,  1863. 

EMERY  M.  EASTMAN,  Captain;  appointed  2d  Lieutenant 
July  28,  1862 ;  promoted  to  ist  Lieutenant  December  2, 
1862  ;  promoted  to  Captain,  and  transferred  from  Company  G 
to  Company  F,  96th  O.  V.  I.  April  i.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  (wounded  in  right  hand,)  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and 
Spanish.  Transferred  to  Company  A,  96th  Regiment  O.  V.I. 
(battalion)  by  consolidation,  November  18,  1864.  Mustered 
out  at  Mobile ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

JOHN  N.  DUNLAP,  ist  Lieutenant;  appointed  ist  Lieutenant 
July  21,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  (detailed  as  Act 
ing  Adjutant  January  10,  1862,)  Arkansas  Post.  Died  at 
Young's  Point,  Louisiana,  March  17,  1863. 

HENRY  C.  ASHWILL,  2d  Lieutenant.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Resigned  March  17,  1863. 

BENJAMIN  F.  WILLIAMS,  Orderly  Sergeant.  Battle  :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs.  Died  at  St.  Louis,  January  28,  1863.  Appointed 
Orderly  Sergeant  August  19,  1862. 

LEVI  SIEGFRIED,  enlisted  July  31,  1862;  appointed  Sergeant 
August  19,  1862.  Battle :  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Promoted 
from  2d  Sergeant  to  Orderly  Sergeant  March  17,  1863; 
commissioned  as  ist  Lieutenant  March  17,  1863.  Never 
mustered.  Died  at  Milliken's  Bend,  July  26,  1863. 

JOHN  A.  F.  CELLAR,  enlisted  August  7,  1862;  appointed  Ser 
geant  August  19,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg, 
Grand  Coteau,  (taken  prisoner  and  exchanged  December  25, 
1863,)  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan. 
Commissioned  and  mustered  as  ist  Lieutenant,  and  trans 
ferred  to  Company  A,  by  consolidation,  November  18,  1864. 
Mustered  out  at  Mobile  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 


204  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

JOSEPHUS  McCAY,  enlisted  August  5,  1862  ;  appointed  Sergeant 
August  19,  1862.  Battles:  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Mustered  out  at 
Mobile  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

BENJAMIN  F.  HIGH,  Sergeant;  enlisted  July  29,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post ;  killed  at  the  latter 
place,  January  n,  1863. 

JAMES  H.  HARRISON,  ist  Corporal;  enlisted  July  27,  1862.  Bat 
tle  :  Sabine  Cross-Roads.  Discharged  at  Columbus,  Ohio — 
date  unknown. 

JOHN  HIPPLE,  2d  Corporal;  enlisted  August  5,  1862  ;  appointed 
Corporal  August  19,  1862  ;  promoted  to  Sergeant  May  10, 
1863.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg, 
Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines 
and  Morgan,  and  Spanish  Fort.  Transferred  from  Co.  F 
to  Co.  A,  (battalion)  by  consolidation,  November  18,  1864. 
Mustered  out  at  Mobile  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

DAVID  SHERMAN,  3d  Corporal;  enlisted  July  28,  1862.  Battle: 
Sabine  Cross-Roads.  Died  at  the  mouth  of  White  River, 
Arkansas,  January  25,  1865. 

GEORGE  DIVEN,  4th  Corporal ;  enlisted  August  5,  1862  ;  ap 
pointed  Corporal  August  19,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs.  Died  on  hospital  boat,  City  of  Memphis,  June  28,  1863. 

DAVID  DEPPEN,  5th  Corporal:  enlisted  July  30,  1862  ;  appointed 
Corporal  August  19,  1863.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs, 
Arkansas  Post  and  Vicksburg.  Discharged  at  Vicksburg 
August  15,  1863. 

GEORGE  WHITE,  6th Corporal ;  enlisted  August  7,  1862  ;  appointed 
Corporal  August  19,  1862.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs, 
Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  (ap 
pointed  Sergeant  April  4,  1864,)  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts 
Gaines  and  Morgan,  and  Spanish  Fort.  Transferred  from 
Co.  F  to  Co.  A,  (battalion),  and  reduced  from  Sergeant  to 
Corporal,  by  consolidation,  November  18,  1864.  Mustered 
out  at  Mobile ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

MARION  McCAY,  Corporal;  enlisted  August  13,  1863. 

JOHN  A.  HARTER,  8th  Corporal;  enlisted  July  29,  1862.  Ap 
pointed  Corporal  August  19,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines 
and  Morgan  and  Spanish  Fort.  Transferred  from  Com 
pany  F  "to  Company  A,  (battalion),  by  consolidation, 
November  18,  1864.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile;  discharged  at 
Camp  Chase. 


SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY  SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  205 

ALBERT  L.  WEISER,  Musician;  enlisted  August  20,  1862.   Age  13. 

PRIVATES. 

WILLIAM  H.  GOSLINE,  Wagoner;  enlisted  July  29,  1862.  Trans 
ferred  to  Co.  A,  (battalion)  by  consolidation,  November  18, 
1863;  transferred  from  Co.  A  to  Co.  E,  (battalion),  in  com 
pliance  with  Regimental  order  No.  14.  Mustered  out  at 
Mobile ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

MARION  ABRAMS,  enlisted  August  5,1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs.  Died  on  hospital  boat,  Nashville,  May  i,  1863. 

WILLIAM  AYRES,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Discharged  at  Camp 
Chase,  Ohio,  Feb.  24,  1863. 

SAMUEL  H.  BAKER,  enlisted  August  3,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs.  Transferred  to  Invalid  Corps  January  25,  1864,  by 
order  of  Secretary  of  War.  Discharged  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio — 
date  unknown. 

THOMAS  B.  BELL,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Forts  Gain^s  and  Morgan,  and  Spanish  Fort.  Mas 
tered  out  at  Mobile  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

JAMES  P.  BRVNDS,  enlisted  July  29,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau, 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  (ap 
pointed  Corporal  September  i,  1864,)  and  Spanish  Fort. 
Transferred  to  Co.  A,  (battalion)  by  consolidation,  No 
vember  1 8,  1864.  Discharged  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  about 
August  i,  1865. 

ALBERT  M.  BURROUGH,  enlisted  August  6th  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Died  at  Milliken's  Bend,  June  8th,  1863, 
of  chronic  diarrhea. 

JAMES  W.  BURROUGHS,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles : 
Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Died  on  hospital  boat  Nashville,  March 
9th,  1863,  of  chronic  diarrhea. 

DANIEL  BURROUGHS,  enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Discharged  at 
Columbus,  April  i,  1863,  by  order  of  Capt.  A.  B.  Dodd. 

JOHN  BREESE,  enlisted  August  1 4th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Vicksburg.  Transferred  to  Invalid  Corps  Decem 
ber  i.  1863;  transferred  from  Invalid  Corps  to  Veteran  Re 
serve  Corps  March  3ist,  1864.  Date  or  place  of  discharge 
not  known. 

SAMUEL  BRAUMILLER,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles.  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs.  Died  at  Young's  Point,  February  i6th,  1863,  of 
chronic  diarrhea. 


2"0'6  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

GEORGE  C.  CELLER,  July  26th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs, 
Arkansas  Post.  Wounded  in  left  leg,  in  knee  and  ankle,  and 
sent  to  hospital.  Battles  :  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau. 
Appointed  Corporal  April  4th,  1864.  Battles,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan,  and  Spanish.  Trans 
ferred  to  Company  A,  November  i8th,  1864.  Mustered  out 
at  Mobile. 

ERVIN  P.  CRUIK.SHANK,  en  (is  ted  August  7th,  1862.  Battles : 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau. 
Killed  in  action  at  Sabine  Cross-Roads. 

GEORGE  W.  CUNNINGHAM,  enlisted  August  ytii,  1862.  Battle  : 
Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Died  on  hospital  boat  City  of  Memphis, 
March  2oth,  1863,  of  typhoid  fever. 

RANSOM  CAMPBELL,  enlisted  July  3ist,  1862.  Detailed  as  regi 
mental  carpenter  August  I2th,  1862,  by  order  of  Colonel 
J.  VV.  Vance.  Transferred  to  Company  A,  November  i8th, 
1864.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile. 

THOMAS  L  CARNEY,  enlisted  August  7th,  1862.  Died  at  Young's 
Point,  January  3ist,  1863,  of  typhoid  fever.  Battle  :  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs. 

MATTHIAS  CROY,  enlisted  July  3oth,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Died  June  i3th,  1863,  at  Milliken's 
Bend,  of  chronic  diarrhea. 

I  AMES  M.  DUTTON.  enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  battle  :  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs.  Died  at  Memphis,  July  i3th,  1863,  of  chronic- 
diarrhea. 

JOHN  H.  DUTCHER,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post.  Discharged  at  Vicksburg, 
June  i3th,  1863,  for  general  debility. 

WILLIAM  EDELHLUTE,  enlisted  August  yth,  1862,  Battles : 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post.  Died  at  Vicksburg,  Au 
gust  I3th,  1863,  of  chronic  diarrhea. 

ANTHONY  EDELMANN,  enlisted  August  iKth.  1862  Battles  : 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson.  Grand 
Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and 
Spanish.  Transferred  to  Company  A,  November  i8th,  1864. 
Mustered  out  at  Mobile  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

JOSEPH  D.  FLEMING,  enlisted  July  29^1,1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Forts  Gaines  and  Mor 
gan.  Transferred  to  Company  A,  November  i8th,  1864 ; 
transferred  from  Company  A.  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  New- 
Orleans,  December  2ist.  1864.  Discharged  at  New  Orleans 
about  June  i5th,  i86s. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I.  207 

THOMAS  A.  TRYMAN,  enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sa~ 
bineCross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Trans 
ferred  to  Company  A,  November  i8th,  1864.  Mustered  out 
at  Mobile  ;  discharged  at  Camp  Chase. 

SIDNEY  FELKEY,  enlisted  August  2,1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post.  Wounded  in  right  thigh  and  sent  to 
hospital.  Battles :  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines, 
Morgan  and  Spanish.  Transferred  to  Company  A.  Mus 
tered  out  at  Mobile. 

JAMES  H.  F ARRIS,  enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Discharged  at 
Columbus,  April  22,  1863,  by  order  of  Captain  A.  B.  Dodd. 

GEORGE  A.  FERRIS,  enlisted  August  5111,1862.  Battle:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs.  Died  at  Young's  Point,  January  2ist,  1863. 

BURROUGHS  FREESE,  enlisted  August  7th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post.  Discharged  at  Milliken's  Bend, 
April  ist,  1863,  for  general  debility. 

LEWIS  FREESE,  August  i5th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs, 
Arkansas  Post.  Died  on  hospital  boat  Nashville,  March 
I3th,  1863,  of  bronchitis. 

OLIVER  T.  GREY,  enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post.  Died  at  Milliken's  Bend,  March 
i3th,  1863,  of  chronic  diarrhea. 

GEORGE  HOUSEWOTRH,  enlisted  July  30th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau,  Sa 
bine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Trans 
ferred  to  Company  A,  November  i8th,  1864.  Mustered  out 
at  Mobile. 

FRANK  D.  HOWARD,  enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battles:  Vicks 
burg,  Grand  Coteau,  Spanish  Fort.  Transferred  to  Company 
A,  November  i8th,  1864.  Mustered  out  at  Mobile. 

HKNRY  HUMMEL,  enlisted  August. 5th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau.  Taken  prisoner  ;  exchanged 
December  25th,  1863.  Battles:  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts 
Gaines  and  Morgan.  Transferred  to  Company  A,  November 
1 8th,  1864.  Discharged  at  Columbus  on  or  about  June  2oth, 
1865. 

HENRY  HOLLENBAUGH,  enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Detailed 
teamster  in  September,  1863,  and  under  fire  in  engagements 
at  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Aikansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Champion 
Hill,  Black  River  ;  returned  to  Company  July  22d,  1864. 
Battles  :  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Transferred  to 
Company  A,  November  i8th,  1864.  Mustered  out  at  Camp 
Chase. 


208  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.    V.  I. 

ANSEL  D.  HAVENS,  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battle:  Chick- 
asaw  Bluffs.  Discharged  at  Memphis,  March  i3th,  1863,  by 
order  of  J.  C.  Batdorf,  Surgeon  in  charge  of  general  hospital. 

WILLIAM  W.  JONES,  enlisted  July  3151.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post.  Wounded  in  left  hip  and  sent  to  hos 
pital  ;  discharged  from  effects  of  wounds  at  St.  Louis,  De 
cember  loth,  1863. 

SAMUEL  D.  JONES,  enlisted  July  30,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  (wounded — contusion,  by  explosion  of 
shell,)  Vicksburg  and  Spanish  Fort.  Transferred  to  Co.  A. 
(battalion)  by  consolidation,  November  18,  1864.  Mastered 
out  with  the  Regiment. 

FORD  KEELER,  enlisted  July  29,  [862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau,  (taken  prisoner,  paroled 
December  25,  1863,  and  exchanged  May  28,  1864,)  Forts 
Gaines  and  Morgan,  and  Spanish  Fort.  Transferred  to  Co. 
A,  November  18,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  the  Regiment. 

JACOB  L.  KLEIN,  enlisted  July  31,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  (appointed  Sergeant  April  i,  1868,)  Vicksburg, 
Jackson.  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts 
Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Promoted  to  ist  Sergeant 
March  i,  1864.  Transferred  to  Co.  A,  November  18,  1864. 
Mustered  out  with  the  Regiment. 

ISAAC  W.  KELCHNER,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Died  at  Coving- 
ton,  Kentucky,  October  24,  1862, 

WILLIAM  A.  LEAR,  enlisted  August  6,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau,  (taken 
prisoner,  paroled  December  25,  1863,  and  exchanged  May 
28,  1864,)  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Transferred 
to  Co.  A,  November  18,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  the 
Regiment. 

JAMES  A.  MILLER,  enlisted  August  6,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson  and  Grand  Coteau,  (wounded  in 
left  groin.)  Transferred  to  Invalid  Corps,  New-Orleans — 
date  unknown.  Appointed  Corporal  October  5,  1862.  Dis 
charged  at  New-Ouleans  about  June  i,  1865. 

HENRY  B.  MAIN,  enlisted  July  29,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  (taken  prisoner, 
paroled  December  25,  and  exchanged  May  28,  1864,)  Forts 
Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Transferred  to  Co.  A, 
November  18,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  the  Regiment. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V,  1.  209 

ISAAC  R.  PLUNKETT,  enlisted  July  28,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  (wounded  in  right 
thigh;  taken  prisoner,  and  exchanged  November  4.  1^63,) 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Spanish.  Transfer 
red  to  Co.  A  by  consolidation,  November  18,  1864.  Mus 
tered  out  with  the  Regiment. 

JACOB  F.  PETTIT,  enlisted  August  8,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  (taken  prisoner, 
paroled,  and  exchanged  May  28,  1864,)  Fort  Spanish. 
Transferred  to  Co.  A,  by  consolidation,  November  18,  1864. 
Mustered  out  with  the  Regiment. 

MARTIN  A.  POWERS,  enlisted  August  8,  1862.  Battles  :  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post.  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau,  (taken 
prisoner,  paroled  December  25,  1863,  and  exchanged  May 
28,  1864,)  Forts  Gaines,  Spanish  and  Morgan.  Transferred 
to  Company  A,  by  consolidation,  November  18,  1^,64. 
Mustered  out  with  the  Regiment. 

SAMUEL  ROGERS,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Vicksburg  and  Grand  Coteau,  (wounded  at  the  latter 
place,  in  right  hip,  and  discharged  from  the  effects  of  it,  at 
New  Orleans,  by  order  of  Maj.-Gen.  N.  P.  Banks — date 
unknown.) 

LORING  L.  ROBINSON,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Died  at  Young's 
Point,  La.,  January  27,  1863. 

ABRAHAM  STINAR,  enlisted  August  6,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Grand  Coteau,  (wounded  in  both  thighs,)  and  dis 
charged  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  June  20,  1864. 

JAMES  SHERMAN,  enlisted  July  29,  1862.  Battles':  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Trans 
ferred  to  Co.  A,  by  consolidation,  November  18,  1864. 
Mustered  out  with  the  Regiment. 

AMOS  SCHNOKE,  enlisted  August  4,  1862.  Died  at  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  March  i,  1863. 

EZRA  SHEETS,  enlisted  August  5,  1862.  Died  at  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  March  i,  1863. 

GEORGE  STRAWSER, enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau  and  Sabine  Cross-Roads. 
Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  New  Orleans,  Dec. 
21,  1864;  discharged  at  same  place — date  unknown. 

WILLIAM  H.  SHEETS,  enlisted  August  i,  1862.  Battles  :  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross 
roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Transferred  to 
Co.  A. 


210  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   I. 

PETER  SULTS,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Discharged  at  Louis 
ville,  Ky.,  January  21,  1863. 

CHRISTOPHER  TRICKEY,  enlisted  August  6,  1862.  Died  at  Bow 
ling  Green,  Ky., — date  unknown. 

JOHN  W.  TRAXLER,  enlisted  August  5,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs.  Died  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Feb.  3, 
1863. 

IRWIN  THRALL,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post ;  wounded  in  right  arm,  below 
elbow,  and  discharged  from  the  effects  of  it,  at  Memphis, 
Term.,  April  6,  1863. 

DANIEL  TROUTMAN,  enlisted  August  4,  1862.  Battle  :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs.  Discharged  at  hospital  in  St. Louis,  Mo.,  April  1,1863. 

SOLOMON  W.  THOMPSON,  enlisted  August  17,  1862.  Died  at 
Memphis,  Tenn.,  December  14,  1862. 

WILLIAM  H.  WEBSTER,  enlisted  August  7,  1861.  Battles  :  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Sabine  Cross-Roads, 
Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Transferred  to  Co.  A 
November  18,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  the  Regiment. 

JOSEPH  P.  WEBSTER,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Died  on  hospital 
boat  Nashville,  March  27,  1863. 

CYRUS  N.  Wis^,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  (wounded  in  left  arm,  below  elbow,) 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish. 
Mustered  out  with  the  Regiment. 

JOSEPH  E.  WILCOX,  enlisted  July  29,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post ;  killed  at  the  latter  place,  January 
n,  1863. 

EBEN  WILLIAMS,  enlisted  July  30,  1862. 

WILLIAM  H.  WILLIAMS,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Battles  :  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand 
Coteau,  (taken  prisoner,  paroled  December  25,  and  exchanged 
May  28,  -1864,)  and  Fort  Spanish.  Mustered  our  with  the 
Regiment. 

WILLIAM  P.  WIGTON,  enlisted  August  7,  1862.  Battles  :  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post ;  killed  at  the  latter  place. 

RENEVEL  WALHKRT,  enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau.  Taken 
prisoner ;  paroled  December  25th,  1863  ;  exchanged  May 
28th,  1864.  Battles  :  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish. 
Transferred  to  Company  A,  November  i8th,  1864.  Mustered 
out  with  the  regiment. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.   I.  211 

WESLEY  WATTERS,  enlisted  July  3oth,  1862.  Battle;  Chichasaw 
Bluffs.  Died  at  Young's  Point,  February  i2th,  1863,  of 
typhoid  fever. 

CORNELIUS  WALDRON,  enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Battles : 
Vicksburg,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Cane  River.  Fort  Spanish. 
Transferred  to  Company  A,  November  i8tn,  1864.  Mustered 
out  with  the  regiment. 

SILAS  T.  WARD,  enlisted  August  9th,  1862.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  A,  November  r8th,  1864.  Discharged  at  Columbus, 
February  25th,  1865. 

WILLIAM  WELCH,  enlisted  August,  4th,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka- 
asaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Wounded 
in  left  leg,  above  ankle,  and  taken  prisoner ;  exchanged  No 
vember  4th,  1863.  Battles:  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts 
Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish.  Transferred  to  Company 
A.  Mustered  out  with  the  regiment. 

RECRUITS. 

JOHN  1.  CARPENTER,  enlisted  January  4th,  1864.  Battles;  Sabine 
Cross-Roads.  Wounded  in  right  arm,  below  elbow,  and  dis 
charged  from  its  effects  at  Columbus,  September  26th,  1864, 
by  order  of  Brigidier-General  Heintzelman. 

ALFRED  JORDAN,  enlisted  May  2pth,  1864.     Discharged   at  New 
Orleans,  May  iyth,  1864. 


COMPANY  C. 

J.  H.  KIMBALL,  Captain.  Appointed  July  28,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickesaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Siege  of  Vicksburg.  Taken 
prisoner  at  Grand  Coteau,  La,  Nov.  3d,  ^63 ;  exchanged 
Dec.  26th,  1863.  Battle  :  Sabine  Cross  Roads.  Left  sick 
at  New  Orleans,  July  3oth,  1864.  Resigned  on  account  of 
protracted  ill  health  Aug.  3d,  1864. 

E.  L.  BAIRD,  Captain.  Appointed  July  29th,  1862,  as  2d  Lieu 
tenant  of  Co.  H ;  promoted  to  ist  Lieutenant  of  same 
Co.,  June  20,  1864;  promoted  to  Captain  Co.  D,  Nov.  i8th, 
1864.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  and  Jackson. 
Taken  prisoner  at  battle  of  Grand  Coteau,  Nov.  3d,  1863  ; 
exchanged  Dec.  2oth,  1863.  Battles:  Forts  Gaines  and 
Morgan,  Fort  Spanish  and  \Fobile. 


212  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

H.  J.  JARVIS,  ist  Lieutenant.  Appointed  July  2ist,  1862  ;  pro 
moted  to  ist  Lieutenant,  July  28th,  1862.  Died  in  hospital 
at  Memphis,  at  2  o'clock  and  40  minutes,  p.  M.,  Dec.  2d,  1862. 

E.  M.  EASTMAN,  Captain.  Appointed  July  28th,  1862,  as 
2d  Lieutenant;  promoted  to  ist  Lieutenant  Dec.  2d,  1862: 
promoted  to  Captain  April  ist,  1863,  and  thransferred  to  Co. 
F.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  (where  he  was  wounded  in  right  hand,)  Forts 
Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

O.  W.  CHAMBERLAIN,  ist  Lieutenant.  Enlisted  Aug.  6th, 
1862;  appointed  Sergeant  Aug.  i8th,  1862;  promoted  ist 
Lieutenant,  March  loth,  1863.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou, 
Fort  Hindman,  Vicksburg,  and  Jackson.  Went  home  on  fur 
lough  from  Vicksburg.  Died  at  Mt.  Vernon,  Aug.  22d,  1863. 

L.  S.  HUNTLEY,  ist  Lieutenant  Existed  Aug  6th,  i852  ;  pro 
moted  4th  Sergeant  Aug.  18,  1862;  promoted  2d  Lieutenant, 
Dec.  2d,  1862;  promoted  ist  Lieutenant  Jan.  19,  1864. 
Battles :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau, 
Sabine-Cross  Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Fort  Spanish 
and  Mobile. 

PETER  MARMON,  2d  Lieutenant.  Enlisted  Aug.  4th,  1862,  as 
ist  Sergeant  of  Co.  H;  promoted  2d  Lieutenant,  Nov.  i8th, 
1864.  Battle:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  (wounded  in  battle  of 
Fort  Hindman,  Ark.,  Jan.  nth,  1863,)  Vicksburg,  Jackson. 
Taken  prisoner  in  action  at  Grand.  Coteau,  La.,  Nov.  3d,  1^63  ; 
exchanged  June  ist,  1864.  Battles:  Forts  Gaines  and 
Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

PRIVATES. 

Irwin  B.  Arnold — enlisted  August  6th,  1862;  appointed  Cor 
poral  September — ,1862;  declined  to  serve;  reappointed 
November  ist,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg 
and  Jackson;  taken  prison  in  battle  near  Grand  Coteau,  No 
vember  3d,  1863  ;  exchanged  December  25th.  1863  ;  promo 
ted  to  Sergeant  April  ist,  1864.  Battles:  Forts  Gaines  and 
M'organ,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regi 
ment. 

Charles  R.  Arnold — enlisted  August  6th,  1862  ;  promoted  to  Cor 
poral  February  i4th,  1863.  Battle :  Arkansas  Post.  Pro 
moted  to  Sergeant  May  ist,  1863.  Battles:  Vicksburg  and 
Jackson.  Granted  sick  leave  August  20th,  1863 ;  transfer 
red  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps  January  i4th,  1864. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I.  2J3 

Heman  W.  Allen — enlisted  August  yth,  1862  ;  appointed  Hospital 
Steward  August  23d,  1862;  died  February  i2th,  1863,  at  St. 
Louis,  of  typhoid  pneumonia. 

David  Atkinson— enlisted  August  8th,  1862  ;  wounded  in  battle 
at  Arkansas  Post;  died  September  ist,  1863,  at  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  of  chronic  diarrhea. 

Henry  Barnes — enlisted  August  2d,  1863;  appointed  Corporal 
August  /8th,  1862;  left  s>ick  on  steamer  Ohio  Belle,  at 
Young's  Point ;  sent  to  hospital  at  St.  Louis ;  died  about 
February  icth,  1863. 

Charles  O.  Bockover — enlisted  August  ist,  1862.  Battle:  Vicks- 
burg.  Lost  his  speech  on  or  about  the  2cth  of  February, 
1863;  left  company  for  home  July  3Oth,  1863;  discharged 
for  disability  September  3oth,  1863. 

Andrew  Boston — enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau, 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Edwin  R.  Blaney — enlisted  August  8th,  1863;  died  in  hospital  at 
St.  Louis,  February  i4th,  1863. 

Daniel  Baker— enlisted  July  29th,  1862.  Battle:  Vicksburg. 
Sent  to  hospital  June  23d,  1863;  returned  to  his  Company 
and  wert  home  on  sick  leave  August  2oth,  1863;  admitted 
to  hospital  at  Camp  Chase,  O.,  October  i5th,  1863.  Battles  : 
Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan.  Mustered  out  of  service  at  Camp 
Dennison  about  July,  1865. 

Rufus  C.  Brooks — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs  and  Fort  Hindman.  Detached  to  join  i;th  Ohio 
Battery  April  ist,  1863.  Battles:  Port  Gibson,  Champion 
Hill,  Black  River,  Vicksburg  and  Grand  Coteau.  Mustered 
out  of  96th  O  V.  I.  December  ist,  1863,  to  enlist  as  Veteran 
in  i  yth  Ohio  Battery;  order  revoked,  and  he  returned  to 
regiment  for  duty.  Battles:  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  and 
Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

Fletcher  L.  Brown — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Left  sick  in  hos 
pital  at  Nicholasville  November  6th,  1862.  Discharged  Jan 
uary  6th,  1^63. 

James  Berry — enlisted  July  3oth,  1862.  Detached  as  brigade- 
wagoner  March  ist,  1863;  returned  to  Co.  April  4th,  1863; 
detached  as  wagoner  April  2yth,  1863.  Battles:  Spanish 
Fort  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 


214  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O     V.    1. 

Alfred  H.  Bardwell — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Promoted  to 
Corporal  November  roth,  1862;  promoted  to  Sergeant  Janu 
ary  ist,  1863.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bayou  and  Arkansas 
Post.  Promoted  to  ist  Sergeant  May  ist,  1863.  Battles: 
Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Wounded  and  taken  prisoner  in 
battle  of  Grand  Coteau,  November  3d,  1863 ;  exchanged 
November  4th,  1863;  sent  to  hospital  in  New-Orleans  No 
vember  1 2th,  1863  ;  returned  to  duty  March  6th,  1864;  taken 
prisoner  in  action  at  Sabine  Cross-Roads  April  8th,  1864; 
exchanged  October  23d,  1864.  Battles:  Spanish  Fort  and 
Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Oscar  W.  Chamberlin — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Appointed 
2d  Sergeant  August  i8th,  1862;  promoted  to  ist  Sergeant 
January  ist,  1863.  Battle:  Arkansas  Post.  Promoted  to 
ist  Lieutenant  March  igth,  1^63.  Battles:  Vicksburg  and 
Jackson.  Furlough  August  6th,  1863. 

James  H.  Chamberlin,  Musician — enlisted  August  6th,  1862. 
Battles :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Car 
rion  Crow  Bayou,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and 
Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile,  Ala.  Mustered  out  with 
regiment. 

John  M.  Cryder — enlisted  July  3oth,  1862.  Appointed  3d  Ser 
geant  August  T#th,  1862  ;  left  sick  in  hospital  at  Albany, 
Ind.,  November  i8th,  1862;  returned  January  28th,  1862; 
left  sick  in  hospital  at  Milliken's  Bend,  La.,  April  i5th.  [863 ; 
returned  August  yth,  1863.  Battle  :  Grand  Coteau.  Mus 
tered  out  at  consolidation. 

William  Cams — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau, 
Sabine  Cross-Roads  and  Fort  Morgan. 

George  Case — enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Battles:  Vicksburg 
and  Jackson.  Went  home  on  sick  leave  for  thirty  days,  July 
30th,  1863  ;  returned  November  6th,  1863;  died  at  Pass  Ca- 
vallo,  Texas,  February  28th,  1864. 

Peter  Courter — enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Sent  to  hos 
pital  at  Memphis,  August  20th,  and  from  there  home  on  sick 
furlough;  returned  to  company  October  igth,  1863;  taken 
prisoner  in  battle  near  Grand  Coteau,  November  3d,  1863. 
Battles:  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mo 
bile.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Cicero  Conklin — enlisted  July  2c)th,  1862  ;  died  on  board  steamer 
J.  C.  Swan,  January  3ist  1863, probably  of  typhoid  fever. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   1,  215 

Emmons  Courter — enlisted  August  4th,  1862;  left  sick  at  Nich- 
olasville  November  6th,  1862  ;  discharged  at  Columbus,  April 
nth,  1863. 

Oscar  J.  Case — enlisted  August  4th,  1862  ;  detached  brigade  wag 
oner  December  28th,  1862;  returned  to  company  April  4th, 
1863;  detached  as  teamster  June  8th,  1863;  returned  Sep 
tember — ,  1863;  left  in  convalescent  camp  at  New-Orleans 
October  3d,  1863.  Battles  :  Fort  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and 
Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Robert  Conroy — enlisted  August  8th,  1862  ;  detached  brigade 
wagoner  January  i4th,  1863;  returned  to  company  April  4th, 

1863.  Battle:     Vicksburg.     Sent  to  division  hospital;    re 
turned  to  company  November  23d,  1863.     Battles:     Spanish 
Fort  and  Mobile.     Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Lucius  Carhart — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battle  :  Chickasaw 
Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post.  Promoted  to  Corporal  April  22d, 

1864.  Battles:     Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine 
Cross-Roads.  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.     Mustered  out  with 
regiment. 

John  L.  Davy— enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post.  Promoted  to  Corporal  February 
i^th,  1863  ;  sent  to  hospital  boat  at  Young's  Point  March  6th, 
1863;  returned  June  i c;th,  1863.  Battle:  Vicksburg.  Sent 
home  on  sick  furlough  for  sixty  days,  October  2d,  1863.  Bat 
tles  :  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan.  Detached  from  Pioneer 
Corps  March  nth,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Samuel  Dunham— enlisited  August  8th,  1862  ;  left  sick  at  Nichol- 
asville,  Ky.,  November  6th,  1862  ;  returned  to  company  De 
cember  1 5th,  but  was  never  fit  for  duty.  Died  of  chronic  di 
arrhea  at  Young's  Point,  February  28th,  1863. 

Franklin  Dixon — enlisted  August  yth,  1863;  detached  brigade 
wagoner  January  i4th;  returned  to  company  March  3ist, 
1^63.  Battles:  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan.  Detached  ambu 
lance  driver,  March  i6th,  1865.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

George  Evarts— enlisted  July  29th,  1892;  died  January  3oth, 
1863,  on  steamer  J.  C.  Swan,  probably  of  measles. 

Patrick  M.  Elliott — enlisted  August  2d,  1862  ;  detached  hospital 
attendant  November  yth,  1862  ;  returned  to  company  August 
i8th,  1863;  wounded  in  battle  near  Grand  Coteau ;  sent  to 
hospital  at  New-Orleans,  November  i2th,  1863;  died  of 
wounds  November  3oth,  1863. 


210  SERVICES   OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

Henry  M.  Fuller — enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  (taken  prisoner  at 
Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,)  Forts  Gaines  and  Mor 
gan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

David  G.  Farrier — enlisted  August  6th,  1862;  died  March  25th, 
1863,  in  hospital  at  St.  Louis,  probably  of  typhoid  fever. 

David  A-  Finley — enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Battles:  Vicksburg 
and  Jackson.  Detached  to  join  Pioneer  Corps,  September 
— ,  1863.  Battles:  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile.  Sent  to  hospital  June  ist,  1865. 

William  C.  Flagg — enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bayou,Vicksburg,  Jackson,  (taken  prisoner  in  battle  near 
Grand  Coteau,)  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Mor 
gan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Melville  C.  Flagg— enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Battle  :  Chicka 
saw  Bayou.  Detached  to  join  Pioneer  Corps,  February  6th, 
1863.  Battles:  Vicksburg,  Port  Gibson,  Champion  Hill  and 
Black  River.  Captured  July  i6th,  1863,  and  paroled  near 
Jackson,  Miss. — parole  not  recognized ;  returned  from  parole 
camp,  Columbus,  Ohio,  September — ,  1863;  detached  for 
duty  with  Medical  Director  at  corps  headquarters.  Battles : 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

William  H.  H.  Farris — enlisted  August  yth,  1862  ;  left  sick  in  hos 
pital  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  December  2oth,  1863;  discharged — 
date  unknown. 

Jacob  Freshwater — enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bayou  and  Jackson.  Went  home  on  sick  furlough  Au 
gust  2oth,  1863;  returned  to  company  November  ?9th,  1863; 
wounded  in  thigh  and  missing  in  action  at  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads.  Battles:  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Herbert  Gregory— enlisted  Aug.  4th,  1862  ;  appointed  5th  Ser 
geant  Aug.  1 8th,  1862 ;  left  sick  in  hospital  at  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  Dec.  2oth,  1862  ;  died  at  Memphis,  Feb.  8th,  1863,  of 
typhoid  pneumonia. . 

Samuel  S.  Gammill  -enlisted  Aug.  6th,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw 
Bayou  Sick  in  hospital  from  Jan.  ist,  1863  to  March,  1863. 
Battles :  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Went  home  on  furlough  for 
30  days,  July  30th,  1863;  returned  to  Co.  Sept  i5th,  1863. 
Battles  :  Grand  Coteau,  Mansfield,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan, 
Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    ().   V.  I.  21? 

Fowler  Grummon — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chicka- 
saw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand 
Coteau,  Sabine  Cross  Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan, 
Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Josephus  Gregg — enlisted  August  yth,  1863;  promoted  Corporal 
Oct.  ist,  1862  ;  left  sick  in  hospital  at  Miliken's  Bend,  La., 
April  i5th,  1863.  Battle  :  Arkansas  Post.  Died  May  2oth, 
of  chronic  diarrhoea,  near  Cairo  on  his  way  home  on  sick 
leave. 

Joseph  G.  Griggs — enlisted  Aug.  yth,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw 
Bayou.  Sick  in  quarters  until  Aug.  2oth,  1863.  Battle: 
Vicksburg,  (sent  to  hospital  at  Memphis,  Aug.  2oth,  1863,) 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort, 
and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

William  C.  Garey — enlisted  Aug.  6th,  1862  :  promoted  Corporal 
Feb.  i4th,  1863  ;  discharged  per  order  of  Gen.  McClernand 
for  disability,  March  iyth,  1863.  Battle  :  Arkansas  Post. 

fames  H.  Galloway — enlisted  Aug.  8th,  1863.  Died  Jan.  25th, 
1863,  at  Young's  Point,  I -a.,  on  steamer  J.  C.  Swan. 

Lyman  S.  Huntley — enlisted  Aug.  6,  1862  ;  appointed  4th  Sergeant 
Aug.  i8th,  1862;  promoted  ~>d  Lieutenant,  Dec.  2d,  1862; 
mustered  as  Lieutenant,  April  ist,  1863.  Battles:  Grand 
Coteau,  and  Sabine  Cross-Roads. 

James  Harbottle — enlisted  Aug.  i8th,  1862  ;  appointed  yth  Corpo 
ral,  Aug.  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou  and  Arkansas 
Post  Promoted  Sergeant,  Feb.J  4th,  1863.  Battles:  Vicks 
burg,  Jackson,  and  Grand  Coteau.  Sent  home  to  recruit, 
Dec.  6th,  1863.  Battles:  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines 
and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with 
regiment. 

Joseph  Hoover — enlisted  July  3ist,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post  and  Vicksburg.  Taken  prisoner  in 
battle  near  Grand  Coteau,  La.,  Nov.  3d ;  exchanged  Dec. 
25th,  1863.  Battles:  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Fort  Spanish  and 
Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Oscar  F.  Hoover — enlisted  August  ;th,  1862;  detailed  regimental 
farage-master  Oct.  i3th,  1862;  detached  to  report  to  Quar 
termaster  Baldwin,  March  2ist,  1863;  Detached  Jan.  i2th, 
1864;  relieved  from  duty  in  New-Orleans,  March  3d,  1865; 
returned  to  Co.  for  duty  April  i5th,  1865.  Mustered  out 
with  regiment. 


218  SERVICES  or  THE  NINETY-SIXTH  o   v.  i. 

Seth  L.  Hoover — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Vicksburg,  and  Jackson,  Promoted  Corporal  April 
ist,  1664.  Battles:  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and 
Morgan,  Fort  Spanish  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regi 
ment. 

Norton  Hornbeck — enlisted  July  28th,  1862.  Detailed  as  regi 
mental  butcher  October  i3th,  1862  ;  returned  to  Co.  Novem 
ber  nth,  1862  ;  sent  to  hospital  at  Young's  Point  March  6th, 
1863;  returned  May  5th,  1864.  Battles:  Vicksburg  and 
Jackson,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan, 
Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile;  wounded  at  Jackson.  Mus 
tered  out  with  regiment. 

Watson  Hall — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Sent  to  hospital  at 
Young's  Point  January  27th,  1863.  Transferred  to  Invalid 
Corps  September,  1863,  at  Fort  Pickering,  Tenn. 

Gilson  Humphrey — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Died  January 
26th,  1863,  of  typhoid  fever,  on  steamer  J.  C-  Swan,  Young's 
Point,  La. 

Hezekiah  H.  Helphrey — enlisted  August  ist,  1862.  Battle: 
Arkansas  Post.  Died  April  nth,  1863,  of  chronic  diarrhea, 
at  Milliken's  Bend,  La. 

Benjamin  Jennings — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battle:  Ar 
kansas  Post.  Left  sick  in  hospital  at  MilHken's  Bend,  April 
i3th,  1863;  discharged  June  3oth,  1863,  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.; 
died  soon  after. 

Erastus  Jenkins  -enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Died  in  hospital  at 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  April  5th,  1863,  of  chronic  diarrhea. 

Thomas  Johnson — enlisted  August  8th,  i86'2.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Left  in 
convalescent  camp  at  New-Orleans,  October  3d,  1863;  re 
turned  November  23d,  1863.  Battles  :  Sabine  Cross-Roads, 
Fort  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with 
regiment. 

James  W.  Jackson — enlisted  July  29th,  1862.  Detailed  regimental 
blacksmith  at  Camp  Bates,  Ky.,  October  — th,  1862  ;  taken 
prisoner  at,prand  Coteau,  La.;  returned  June  6th,  1864 ;  dis 
charged  for  disability  December  i2th,  1864. 

Anthony  Johnston — enlisted  August  — ,  1862.  Battles  :  Chick 
asaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Jackson,  Sabine  Cross-Roads/ 
Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

Charles  Kempton — enlisted  August  2d,  1862;  died  in  hospital  at 
Nicholasville,  Ky.,  November  2yth,  1862. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   I.  :>19 

Philander  P.  Kelsey — enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Battles:  Chick- 
asaw  Bayou,  Port  Gibson,  Champion  Hill,  Big  Black  River 
and  Vicksburg  (received  wound  in  neck  at  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads),  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regi 
ment. 

Joseph  P.  Landon — enlisted  August  yth,  1862  ;  appointed  Corpo 
ral  August  i8th,  1862;  left  sick  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  Novem 
ber  6th.  1862  ;  discharged  on  certificate  of  disability. 

Jasper  W.  Longshore — enlisted  July  3ist,  1862.  Battles:  Chick- 
asaw  Bayou  and  Vicksburg.  Left  in  convalescent  camp, 
New-Orleans,  October  3d,  1803;  returned  to  company  De 
cember  i6th,  1863.  Battles:  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan, 
Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

David  Layman — enlisted  August  7th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and 
Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regi 
ment. 

Henry  Littick — enlisted  August  8th,  1862  ;  sent  to  hospital  at  Car 
thage,  La.,  May  1863;  returned  to  company  for  duty;  miss 
ing  at  Sabine  Cross- Roads  (wounded) :  died  in  rebel  hospital 
near  Mansfield,  La..  April  c;th,  1864. 

James  C.  Lowrey — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou  and  Vicksburg.  Sick  in  ambulance  and  captured  at 
Sabine  Cross-Roads.  Died  of  small-pox  at  Fort  Morgan, 
March  8th,  1865. 

Adolphus  W.  McFarland-— enlisted  August  8th,  1862  ;  appointed 
Corporal  August  i8th,  1862.  Battles:  Spanish  Fort  and  Mo 
bile.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

William  McDonald  -enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  (wounded  in 
neck  in  action  at  Sabine  Cross-Roads).  Sent  to  hospital  at 
New-Orleans.  Battles :  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mus 
tered  out  with  regiment. 

William  C.  Nafus— enlisted  August  ist.  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads, 
Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mus 
tered  out  with  regiment. 

Cyrus  Newkirk — enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regi 
ment. 

Levi  Olney — enlisted  August  5th,  1862;  appointed  ist  Corporal 
August  1 8th,  1862.  Battles;  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan  and 
Spanish  Fort.  Mustered  out  July  i5th,  1865. 


220  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I. 

Joel  Olney — enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Battles:  Forts  Gaines 
and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with 
regiment. 

Samuel  Osborn — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Port  Gibson,  Champion  Hill,  Black  River,  Vicksburg, 
Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Span 
ish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

George  G.  Patrick — enlisted  August  6th,  1862;  discharged  March 
loth,  1863,  at  Young's  Point,  for  disability. 

Nathan  E.  Patrick — enlisted  August  6th,  1862,  Left  sick  in  hos 
pital  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  December  20th,  1862  ;  discharged 
for  disability  resulting  from  chronic  bronchitis,  at  Cairo,  May 
6th,  1863. 

Isaac  Pace — enlisted  July  3ist,  1862.  Died  March,  yth,  1863,  of 
wounds  received  in  battle  of  Arkansas  Post,  January  nth, 
1863. 

Nathan  Pace — enlisted  August  ist,  1862.  Wounded  in  battle  of 
Arkansas  Post,  January  nth,  1863;  discharged  at  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  June  ipth,  1863. 

Charles  Farmer — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Died  February  5th, 
1863,  in  hospital  at  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Orlando  H.  Roloson —enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Appointed  4th 
Corporal  August  i8th,  1862;  on  detached  duty  during 
greater  part  of  term  of  service. 

James  S.  Ramsey — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Mansfield,  Forts 
Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile,  Ala.  Mus 
tered  out  with  regiment. 

Giles  H.  Roberts — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battle:  Vicks 
burg.  Sent  to  Division  hospital  and  thence  to  St.  Louis, 
Mo.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps  Jan.  22d,  1864. 

Lemuel  Roloson — enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Left  in  hospital: 
promoted  Corporal  April  22d,  1863  ;  discharged  August  i5th, 
1863  ;  died  soon  after  at  Columbus,  O. 

John  Rader — enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross  Roads, 
Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

George  Styer — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Appointed  2d  Corpo 
ral  August  i8th,  1862;  died  in  hospital  at  St.  Louis,  Febru 
ary  yth,  1863. 

George  L.  Sackett — enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Appointed  5th 
Corporal  August  i8th,  1862  ;  discharged  at  Columbus,  Ohio, 
September  — ,  1863. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    ().   V.   I.  221 

Charles  Smith — enlisted  July  3ist,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 
On  detached  duty  during  most  of  his  term  of  service. 

William  Smith — enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Battles  :  Chicka 
saw  Bayou,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile,  Ala.;  sent  to  hospital 
at  Mobile,  Ala.,  June  ist,  1864. 

George  W.  Smith — enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Battle:  Arkan 
sas  Post,  Sent  to  hospital  at  Memphis,  and  there  died  Aug 
ust  1 5th,  1863. 

William  R.  Stockard-  enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Battles  :  Chick 
asaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson  and  Sabine  Cross-Roads. 
Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

John    Smith — enlisted  August    8th,    1862.     Battles:     Chickasaw 

Bayou,   Vicksburg  and  Jackson.     Taken  prisoner  at  Grand 

Coteau.     Battles :  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish   Fort 

and  Mobile,  Ala.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Michael  Slattery — enlisted  July  23d,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post.  Missing  from  steamer  Continen 
tal  after  going  on  picket  near  Milliken's  Bend,  January  3oth, 
1863;  taken  prisoner  January  3oth,  1863  ;  taken  to  Jackson, 
Miss.;  given  a  parole  February  28th,  and  sent  to  Chattanooga, 
Tenn.,  in  May  ;  escaped  from  the  rebs  and  came  through  our 
lines  and  was  sent  to  Camp  Chase  in  July;  exchanged  in 
September,  and  returned  to  Co.  November  28th,  1863  ;  pro 
moted  to  Corporal  April  ist,  1864.  Battles:  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 
Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Horace  F.  Smith — enlisted  July  28th,  1862.  Battle:  Arkansas 
Post.  Missing  from  steamer  Continental,  near  Milliken's 
Bend,  January  30^,1863  ;  paroled  in  August,  1863;  sent  to 
hospital  and  discharged  on  surgeon's  certificate  of  disability, 
from  marine  hospital,  New-Orleans,  April  nth,  1864. 

William  WT.  Townley — enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chick 
asaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Taken  prisoner  at 
Grand  Coteau.  Battles  :  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile ;  wound 
ed  at  Spanish  Fort.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Abram  Van  Worm  ?r— enlisted  July  3 ist,  1862.  Battles  :  Chick 
asaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and 
Mobile.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Marritt  Van  Fleet — enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Sent  home  on 
sick  furlough ;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 


222  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   I. 

Ethan  A.  Willey — enlisted  July  28th,  1862.  Appointed  ist  Ser 
geant  August  i8th,  1862  ;  transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve 
Corps. 

Simon  Wilcox — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Died  at  Young's 
Point  January  23d,  1863,  of  typhoid  fever- 

Josiah  Warner — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile  ;  mustered  out  with  regiment. 

Isaac  K.  White — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battles:  Arkansas 
Post.  Promoted  to  Corporal  May  ist.  1863.  Battles:  Vicks 
burg  and  Jackson.  On  the  3oth  of  July  went  home  on  fur 
lough.  Killed  in  battle  near  Grand  Coteau,  November  3d, 
1863. 

George  M.  Williams — enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Left  sick  in 
hospital  at  Milliken's  Bend,  La.,  April  i5th,  1863.  Trans 
ferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

RECRUITS. 

Emmit  Cams — enlisted  January  22d,  1864.  Battles:  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and 
Mobile.  Transferred  to  77th  O.  V.  V.  I.,  July  7th,  1865. 

Derostus  F.  Dicks — enlisted  December  3d,  1863  Battles:  Sa 
bine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile.  Transferred  to  77th  O.  V.  V.  I.,  July  7th,  1865. 


COMPANY  H. 

WM.  B.  N1VEN,  Captain.  Commissioned  July  29th,  1862  ;  re 
signed  at  Milliken's  Bend,  April  isth,  1863. 

JAMES  G.  HAMILTON,  rst  Lieutenant.  Commissioned  July 
29th,  1862.  Battle:  Arkansas  Post.  Detailed  as  Regimental 
Quarter-Master  March  r8th,  1863;  resigned  at  New-Orleans 
June  3oth,  1864. 

ELI  L.  BAIR1),  2(1  Lieutenant.  Commissioned  July  29th,  1862. 
Battles:  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand 
Coteau  ;  taken  prisoner  at  latter  place  November  3d,  1863  ; 
exchanged  December  26th,  1863.  Detached  on  duty  in 
camp  of  paroled  prisoners,  New-Orleans,  from  March  8th  to 
June  I9th,  1864.  Commissioned  ist  Lieutenant  March  3d, 
1863.  Battles  :  Forts  Gaines  and.  Morgan.  Assigned  as 
Captain  of  Company  D.  Battles:  Spanish  Fort  and  the  cap 
ture  of  Mobile. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   I.  128 

Peter  Marmon,  ist  Sergeant.  Enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bayou,  (wounded  at  Arkansas  Post,)  Vicksburg, 
Jackson.  Taken  prisoner  at  Grand  Coteau,  November  30!, 
1863;  Paroled  December  25th,  1863;  exchanged  May  ist, 
1864.  Battles:  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan.  Commissioned 
2d  Lieutenant  November  i6th,  1864.  Battles:  Mobile, 
Spanish  Fort  and  capture  of  Mobile. 

Isaac  Ivins,  2d  Sergeant.  Enlisted  August  9th,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson  ;  cap 
tured  at  the  battle  of  Grand  Coteau,  November  3d,  1863  ; 
paroled  December  25th,  1863  ;  exchanged  May  ist,  1864. 
Battles :  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  capture  of 
Mobile. 

Daniel  Roof,  3d  Sergeant.  Enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sa- 
bine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan.  Discharged  at 
the  mouth  of  White  River  November  28th,  1864,  for  disa 
bility. 

Stephen  H.  Moore,  4th  Sergeant.  Enlisted  August  8th,  1862. 
Battles :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  capture  of  Mo 
bile. 

George  W.  Sanders,  5th  Sergeant.  Enlisted  August  nth,  1862. 
Detailed  to  Pioneer  Corps  at  Young's  Point,  February  5th, 
1863.  Discharged  June  ipth,  1863,  at  St.  Louis,  for  disability. 

William  H.  Seaman,  ist  Corporal.  Enlisted  August  4th,  1862. 
On  duty  in  the  Quarter-Master  Department. 

Edward  Brown,  2d  Corporal.  Enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  De 
tailed  to  the  Commissary  Department,  November  ist,  1862  ; 
returned  to  the  Company  in  1863.  Battles:  Vicksburg, 
Jackson.  Detached  to  Pioneer  Corps  at  Carrollton,  1863  ; 
returned  to  Company.  Battles  :  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts 
Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  capture  of  Mobile. 

Thomas  Rosebrough,  3d  Corporal.  Enlisted  August  5th,  1862. 
Battle:  Chickasaw  Bayou;  sent  to  hospital;  discharged 
nt  Camp  Dennison,  June  ipth,  1863,  for  disability. 

Robert  Huston,  4th  Corporal.  Enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  De 
tailed  to  hospital  as  nurse ;  discharged  at  St.  Louis,  Feb 
ruary  2oth,  1863,  for  disability. 

Eli  Hostetler,  5th  Corporal.  Enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Ap 
pointed  Corporal  August  r8th,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw 
Bayou.  Died  on  steamer  Louisiana,  of  diphtheria  and  typhoid 
fever,  January  iyth,  1863. 


224  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

Hiram  Underwood,  6th  Corporal.  Enlisted  August  8th,  1872. 
Appointed  Corporal  August  i8th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson.  Captured  at 
Grand  Coteau  ;  escaped  from  the  enemy  at  Alexandria,  De 
cember  I3th,  1863  ;  reached  Union  gun-boats  on  Mississippi 
River,  December  24th,  1863,  and  rejoined  his  regiment  at 
Decrow's  Point,  Texas,  January  23d,  1864.  Battles:  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  and  capture 
of  Mobile. 

Cyrus  E.  Emery,  yth  Corporal.  Enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Ap 
pointed  Corporal  August  i8th,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw 
Bayou.  Died  on  hospital  bout,  on  Arkansas  River,  January 
1 8th,  1863,  of  measles. 

William  J.  Horn,  8th  Corporal.  Enlisted  August  i4th,  1862. 
Appointed  Corporal  August  i8th,  1862.  Battle:  Vicksburg. 
Detached  to  ambulance  train,  September  ist,  1863.  Died 
at  Carrollton,  October  9th,  1863,  of  erysipelas. 

Enos  Ward,  Musician.  Enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Transferred 
to  non-commissioned  staff  September  ist,  1862,  as  principal 
musician.  Sent  to  hospital  from  Young's  Point,  March  6th, 
1863  :  died  in  same  at  St.  Louis,  April  5th,  1863,  of  general 
debility. 

R.  Cook  James.  Musician.      Enlisted  August  5th,  1862. 

William  H.  Cockwill,  Wagoner.  Enlisted  August  i4th,  1862. 
Battles  :  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan. 

PRIVATES. 

Matthew  M.  Alexander — enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Sent  to  hos 
pital,  at  Covington,  October  8th,  1862  ;  returned  to  the  Com 
pany  at  Young's  Point,  February,  1863.  Died  on  the  passage 
to  St.  Louis,  of  typhoid  fever. 

David  Anderson,  enlisted  August  9th,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post.  Died  on  hospital  boat,  Missis- 
sipi  River,  January  3ist,  1863,  of  typhoid  fever. 

John  Amspoker — enlisted  August  9,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post ;  wounded  at  the  latter  place,  in 
left  leg — amputated  above  the  knee.  Sent  to  hospital  at 
Memphis,  but  died  before  reaching  there  (January  23,  1862,) 
from  the  effects  of  his  wounds. 

John  Burkhart — enlisted  August  8th,  1862,  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Discharged 
January  i9th,  1864. 


SERVIC^    OF    THE    NINETY  SIXTH    O.  V.   I,  225 

James  Baldwin— enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  (taken  sick  at  the  latter 
place,  and  sent  to  the  hospital ;  returned  to  the  Company 
November  5th,  1863,)  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and 
Morgan,  Spanish  Fort,  and  capture  of  Mobile. 

Stephen  H.  Baldwin— enlisted  August  n,  1862.  Discharged  at 
Milliken's  Bend,  La.,  March  23d,  1863. 

Harvey  Brinser — enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Died  at  Cairo,  111., 
January  24th,  1863. 

Samuel  Brinser — enlisted  August  n,  1862.  Sent  to  hospital 
at  Camp  Dennison,  October  8,  1862. 

Andy  H.  Beach — enlisted  August  8th,  1862  ;  assigned  to  Adju 
tant's  and  Division  Headquarters.  Discharged  September 
3oth, 1863. 

John  E.  Cooper — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson  and  Grand 
Coteau,  (taken  prisoner  at  the  latter  place  November  3d, 
1863,  paroled  December  25th,  1863,  and  exchanged  May  ist, 
1864,)  Spanish  Fort,  and  capture  of  Mobile. 

John  Collins— enlisted  August  irth,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau, 
Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish, 
and  capture  of  Mobile. 

Simon  \V.  Daily — enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Forts  Gaines, 
Morgan  and  Spanish,  and  the  capture  of  Mobile. 

Peter  Detrick,  jr. — enlisted  August  9,  1862.  Sent  to  hospital 
from  Milliken's  Bend,  April  — ,  1863;  discharged  at  Colum 
bus,  Ohio. 

Samuel  Deardorff — enlisted  August  8,  1862.  Battles:  Vicksburg 
and  Chickasaw  Bayou.  Discharged  August  8th,  1863.  at 
Vicksburg. 

John  W.  Dennis — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Discharged  at 
Covington,  Ky.,  December  23d,  1862. 

Jacob  C.  Emery — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Died  in  camp  at 
Young's  Point,  La.,  February  28,  1863. 

John  Edwards — enlisted  August  8th.  1862.  Battles  :  Forts 
Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  capture  of  Mobile. 

John  Ewing — enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Appointed  5th  Ser 
geant,  September  23d,  1862.  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bayou, 
Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Sabine  Cross-Roads, 
Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  and  capture  of  Mobile. 


226  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    p.  V.  I. 

Amos  Ely — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bayou  and  Vicksburg.  Died  in  the  rear  of  Vicksburg. 
August  loth,  1863. 

William  J.  Early — enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Drove  team  from 
organization  of  the  regiment. 

Frank  I.  Edwards — enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Discharged 
at  St.  Louis,  March  i3th,  1863. 

Harmon  Elliott — enlisted  August  nth.  1862.  Battles:  Chicka- 
saw  Bayou,  (detailed  to  iyth  Ohio  Battery,  April  i,  1863,) 
Port  Gibson,  Raymond,  Champion  Hills,  Black  River,  Vicks 
burg,.  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  (returned  to  Company,  June 
1 4th,  1864,)  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  and  capture 
of  Mobile. 

Isaac  Eades,  jr. — enlisted  August  nth.  1862.  Battles:  Chicka- 
saw  Bayou.  Vicksburg,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  (taken  prisoner 
April  8th,  1864,  and  exchanged  — ,  1864,)  Spanish  Fort  and 
capture  of  Mobile. 

Peter  Farris — enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Transferred  to  Veteran 
Reserve  Corps,  May  yth,  1864. 

Thomas  XV.  Garwood — enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Discharged 
March  iqth,  1863. 

Anthony  Heffner — enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Taken  sick 
during  the  battle  of  Chickasaw  Bayou,  and  died  at  the  mouth 
of  White  River,  January  yth,  1863. 

Martin  L.  Hampsher — enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson.  Grand 
Coteau.  Sabine  Cross-Roads.  Forts  Gaines.  Morgan  and 
Spanish,  and  capture  of  Mobile. 

Michjel  L.  Houts — enlisted  August  pth,  (862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson,  (taken 
prisoner  at  battle  of  Grand  Coteau,  November  3d,  1863,  and 
exchanged  May  i,  1864,)  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan,  Spanish, 
and  Mobile. 

Samuel  M.  Hostetler — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Transferred  to 
Invalid  Corps,  September  30,  1863. 

James  M.  Higgins — enlisted  August  pth,  1862.  Died  at  Jefferson 
Barracks,  February  i5th,  1863. 

George  S.  Harner — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battle:  Chicka 
saw  Bayou.  Died  in  camp  at  Young's  Point,  La.,  February 
1 4th,  1863. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V,  T. 

Henry  C.  Harbaugh — enlisted  August  6th,  [862.  Battles:  Chick- 
asaw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post ;  wounded  in  the  head  at 
the  latter  place,  January  nth,  1863,  and  died  in  hospital  at 
Memphis,  February  2d,  1863,  from  wounds. 

William  Jenkins — enlisted  August  9th,  1862  ;  appointed  Corporal 
September  23d,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg 
and  Jackson.  Died  August  5th,  1863,  in  camp  at  Vicksburg. 

Daniel  Kautzman — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  At  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg  from  June  ist  until  death,  June  18,  1863  ;  disease, 
jaundice  and  congestion. 

Edward  Kirk — enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson.  Mortally  wounded  at  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  April  8th,  1864;  died  at  Mansfield  April  9th, 
1864. 

James  D.  Lamb — enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Vicksburg.  Discharged  at  Vicksburg  August  i^th, 
1863. 

Vernango  Leymaster — enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battle  :  Chick 
asaw  Bayou.  Died  in  floating  hospital,  Mississippi  River, 
March  i6th,  1863. 

Cornelius  Leymaster — enlisted  August  4th,  1862  Battles : 
Chickasaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson.  Sabine  Cross-Roads,, 
Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  Mobile. 

William  C.  McClure — enlisted  August  5th,  1^62.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post.  Appointed  Corporal  January 
23d,  1863  :  Battles  :  Vicksburg,  Jackson.  Appointed  5th 
Sergeant  August  30th,  icS63.  Taken  prisoner  at  Grand 
Coteau,  November  3d,  1863  ;  paroled  December  25th,  1863  ; 
exchanged  May  i,  1864.  Battles:  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan 
and  Spanish.  Wounded  in  hand  at  latter  place. 

Thomas  McArter — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battle  :  Chicka 
saw  Bayou.  Died  January  27th.  1863,  at  Young's  Point. 

Samuel  McClain — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Sent  to  hospital  at 
Camp  Dennison,  October  8th.  1862.  Discharged  March  2d, 
1863,  at  Cincinnati. 

Thomas  Wm.  McAry — enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battle: 
Chickasaw  Bayou.  Died  January  2d,  1863. 

Jonathan  W.  McAltee — enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Sa 
bine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  Mobile. 

George  C.  McCracken — enlisted  August  9th,  1862.  Battle : 
Chickasaw  Bayou.  Died  in  camp,  at  Young's  Point,  March 
2d,  1863. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.    V.   I. 

Joseph  M.  Moore — enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battle:  Chick- 
asaw  Bayou.  Died  on  floating  hospital,  Mississippi  River, 
April  1 7th,  1863. 

Cyrus  A.  Moore — enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battle:  Chicka- 
saw  Bayou.  Discharged  January  3ist,  1863,  and  mustered 
into  the  Marine  Brigade 

Henry  C.  Nash — enlisted  August  9th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post.  Died  in  hospital  boat,  Mississippi 
River,  March  i2th,  1863, 

William  H.  Packer—enlisted  August  8th,  1863.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bayou  and  Vicksburg.  Died  October  28th,  1863,  at  Co 
lumbus,  Ohio. 

Charles  Paxon — discharged  at  Camp  Delaware,  August  3ist,  j862. 

Salathiel  Prater — enlisted  August  9th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan,  Spanish  and  Mobile. 

Nathaniel  F.  Rarick--  enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battles;  Chick 
asaw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post.  Detached  with  Pioneer 
Corps.  Battles :  Port  Gibson,  Raymond,  Champion  Hills, 
Black  River,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads, 
Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

Robert  Rosebrook — enlisted  August  yth,  1862.  Died  August  ist, 
1863,  at  Milliken's  Bend,  of  consumption. 

James  Raley — enlisted  August  7th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou  and  Vicksburg ;  taken  prisoner  at  Sabine  Cross-Roads 
April  8th,  1864,  and  exchanged  October  25th,  1864.  Span 
ish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

James  L.  Rochelle — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and 
Mobile. 

Abel  T.  Reames — enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bayou  and  Vicksburg.  Taken  prisoner  at  Grand  Co 
teau,  November  3d,  1863  ;  paroled  December  25th,  1863,  and 
exchanged  May  ist,  1864.  Battles:  Forts  Gaines  and 
Morgan.  Appointed  Corporal  November  i5th.  Battles : 
Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

John  B.  Rife — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Mobile. 

Jerry  Reames — enlisted  August  i5th,  1862.  Died  at  Milliken's 
Bend  April  27th,  1863,  of  typhoid  fever. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

Jesse  Stanfield — enlisted  July  3ist,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post,  Appointed  Corporal  January 
23d,  1863.  Battles:  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Killed  at 
Grand  Coteau. 

Lewis  Shigley — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battle  :  Vicksburg. 
Discharged  at  Vicksburg,  August  i5th,  1863. 

John  W.  Seaman — enlisted  August  9th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chicka 
saw  Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post.  Discharged  at  Milliken's 
Bend,  April  27th,  1863. 

William  J.  Shawon — enlisted  August  gih,  1862.  Battles  :  Chick 
asaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines 
and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

Joseph  B.  Stevenson  —  enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Fort  Gibson,  Raymond, 
Champion  Hills,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau  and  Fort  Morgan. 

James  D.  Stanton — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post. 

William  H.  H.  Strother — appointed  and  mustered  as  Quartermas 
ter's  Sergeant.  Died  at  Young's  Point,  La.,  February  24th, 
1863. 

Marion  Schwyhart — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chicka 
saw  Bayou,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  (wounded  in  the  hip,  taken  prisoner  ;  exchanged 
August  2ist,  1864,)  Forts  Morgan  and  Spanish,  and  Mobile. 

William  R.  Stephenson — enlisted  August  Qth,  r862.  Died  De 
cember  3ist,  1862,  on  Yazoo  River,  Miss. 

Elias  Strattan — enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau, 
(taken  prisoner,  Nov.  3d,  1863,  and  exchanged  May  ist, 
1864,)  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  and  Mobile. 

Hiram  B.  Shepherd — enlisted  August  11,1862.  Battle:  Chicka 
saw  Bayo'i.  Died  on  hospital  boat,  March  21,  1863. 

David  B.  Slonecker — enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bayou,  Vicksburg  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  (wounded  in 
the  thigh,)  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and 
Spanish,  and  Mobile. 

Daniel  Shuler — enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw 
Bayou.  Died  March  i2th,  1863,  on  hospital  boat. 


230  SERVICES  or  THE  NINETY-SIXTH  o.  v.  i. 

Usal  B.  Sessler — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bayou  and  Arkansas  Post ;  killed  at  the  latter  place,  January 
nth,  1863. 

Thomas  O.  Taylor — enlisted  August  2d,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bayou  and  Vicksburg.  Discharged  at  Vicksburg,  August 
i5th,  1863. 

James  D.  Titus — enlisted  August  9th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau, 
(taken  prisoner  Nov.  3d,  1863,  and  exchanged  May  i,  1864,) 
Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  and  Mobile. 

John  Vanmeter — enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Discharged  Feb. 
roth,  1863. 

Edward  II.  Wilcox — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Died  in  hospital 
at  Memphis,  September  3d,  1863. 

Nicholas  Williams — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson  and  Grand 
Coteau  ;  wounded  in  right  arm  at  the  latter  place,  and  dis 
charged  on  account  of  wound,  June  i4th,  1864. 

William  E.  Wright— enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  P'orts 
Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  and  Mobile. 

Enos  B.  Williams — enlisted  August  nth,  1862.  Discharged 
December  gth,  1862. 

Harrison  Wright— enlisted  August  i  rth,  1862.  Rattle:  Chicka 
saw  Bayou.  Died  March,  1863. 

Joseph  Wilkins — enlisted.  August  nth,  1862.  Died  on  hospital 
boat,  May  23d,  1863. 

John  W.  Wakins — discharged  Sept.  3Oth,  1862. 

David  Weatherby— enlisted  August  ii  th,  1862.  Battle:  Chicka 
saw  Bayou.  Died  February  2d,  1863,  on  hospital  boat. 

Andrew  Yates — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw 
Bayou.  Discharged  at  Milliken's  Bend,  La.,  March  r4th, 
1863;  died  on  the  passage  home. 

John  T.  Welch — enlisted  January  29th,  1864:  Battles:  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan.  Transferred  to  Co. 
A,  November  i8th,  1864. 


SERVICES    OF    THF    NlNETY-SlXTH    O.   V.   I.  231 

COMPANY  I. 


W.  W.  BEATTY,  Captain.  Resigned  his  commission  August  29th, 
1862. 

FRANKLIN  KENDALL,  2d  Lieut.  Appointed  July  29th,  1862; 
promoted  to  Captain  August  29th,  1862  :  Battles:  Chicka- 
saw  Bluffs  and  Vicksburg.  Discharged  August  ;th,  1863. 

W.  H.  CHANDLER,  2d  Lieutenant.  Appointed  Aug.  23d,  1862  ; 
promoted  to  ist  Lieutenant  August  29th,  1862;  promoted  to 
Captain  August  ;th,  1863.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Ar 
kansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  (captured 
November  3d,  1863,  exchanged  December  25th,  1863,)  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and 
Mobile. 

G.  W.  KLINE,  2d  Lieutenant.  Appointed  August  29th.  1862  ;  pro 
moted  to  ist  Lieutenant  February  roth,  [86 J:  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Spanish  F^rt  and  Mobile.  Promoted  to  Regimental 
Quarter- Master  November  ist.  1864. 

Ira  Richards,  ist  Sergeant.  Discharged  September  8th,  1863,  by 
Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability. 

Andrew  Vance,  2d  Sergeant.  Appointed  August  23d,  1862.  Bat 
tles :  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Couteau,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

C.  W.  Humphrey,  3d  Sergeant.  Appointed  August  23d,  1862  ;  ap 
pointed  ist  Sergeant  November  ist,  1864.  Battles:  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

\Vm.  Black,  4th  Sergeant.  Appointed  August  23d,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand 
Coteau,  Sabine  Cross- Roads,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

\Vrm.  Bell,  5th  Sergeant.  Appointed  August  23d,  1862  ;  promoted 
to  ist  Sergeant  September  24th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Fort  Gaines  and  Morgan.  Died  at  Fort  Gaines  Au 
gust  25th,  1864. 

John  H.  Beatty,  ist  Corporal.  Appointed  August  23d,  1862  ;  dis 
charged  at  Columbus,  O.;  re -enlisted  February  25th,  1864. 
Battles  :  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

S.  B.  Martin,  2d  Corporal.  Appointed  August  23d,  1862.  Bat 
tles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post  and  Vicksburg.  Died 
in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  May  — ,  1864. 


232  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

John  Campbell,  3d  Corporal.  Appointed  August  23d,  1862.  Bat 
tles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksbure,  Jackson, 
(wounded  at  Grand  Coteau  through  both  legs).  Discharged 
at  New-Orleans,  April  25th,  1864,  on  account  of  wounds. 

G.  W.  Rigby,  4th  Corporal.  Appointed  August  23d,  1862.  Bat 
tles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan, 
Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

W.  H.  Wishart,  5th  Corporal.  Appointed  August  23d,  1862.  Bat 
tles  :  Chickasaw  Biuffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Discharged 
September  2ist,  1863. 

G.  W.  Davis,  6th  Corporal.  Appointed  August  23d,  1862.  Battles : 
Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Vicksburg.  Transferred  to  Veteran 
Reserve  Corps  April  loth,  1864. 

W.  V.  B.  Ducker,  yth  Corporal.  Appointed  August  23d,  1862. 
Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  (wounded  in  action  at 
Grand  Coteau  in  right  wrist  and  left  hand,)  Spanish  Fort  and 
Mobile. 

J.  P.  Wishart,  8th  Corporal.  Appointed  August  23d,  1862.  Bat 
tles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Sabine  Cross-Roads, 
Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

PRIVATES. 

S.  R.  Arbuckle — Battles  :  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and 
Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

Hugh  Andrews — Battle:  Chickasaw  Blufis.  Died  January  1 6th, 
1863. 

J.  W.  Black — appointed  5th  Sergeant  September  24th,  1862;  dis 
charged  at  Memphis,  February,  1863. 

L.  Brown. 

John  Brown. 

John  Bickham — Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Grand 
Coteau,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

J.  G.  Bruner — Battle  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs.   Died  January  6th,  1863. 

R.  Brunson  —  Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post. 
Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  February  *5th,  1864. 

W.  H.  H.  Black— Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jack 
son,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and 
Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

Perry  Bottles — appointed  5th  Sergeant  March  rst,  1863.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  (taken  prisoner 
at  Grand  Coteau,  exchanged  December  25th,  1863,)  Sabine 
Cross-Roads.  Captured  April  8th,  1864,  exchanged  October 
23d,  1864. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY  SIXTH    O.   V.   I. 

H.  C.  Carr — Battles:     Chickasaw   Bluffs,   Arkansas   Post,  Vicks- 

burg,   Jackson,   Grand   Coteau,    Sabine    Cross-Roads,    Forts 

Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 
H.  Caxtron. 
I.    C.   Cookston — Battle  :     Chickasaw     Bluff.      Died    at   Young's 

Point,  February  2ist,  1863. 
J.  Casebolt — Battles:     Chickasaw    Bluffs,  Arkansas    Post.      Died 

on  steamer  J.  C.  Swan,  January  3ist,  1863. 
J.  A.  Cooper — Battles:    Chickasaw    Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicks- 

burg,  Jackson.      Killed  in  action  at  Grand  Coteau,  November 

3d,  1863. 
B.  B.  Cross — Battles  :     Chickasaw   Bluffs,  Arkansas    Post.      Died 

at  Young's  Point  February  ist,  1863. 

J.Cox — Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Kurt-, 
Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish. 

S.  A.  Cole — Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Sa 
bine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  Mobile. 

W.  A.  Davis — Discharged  at  Cincinnati,  on  Surgeon's  certificate 
of  disability,  May  5th,  1863. 

Krvvin  S.  Davis — Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disabil 
ity,  January  3d,  1863. 

H.  S.  Edgeington — Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post. 
Died  at  St.  Louis,  May  24th,  1863. 

b.  Fisher — Battle:  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Died  at  St.  Louis,  April 
iyth,  1863. 

H.  Faler — Battle:     Chickasaw   Bluffs.      Died    at    Young's    Poiiu, 

January  27th,  1863. 
G.  Foltx. 
L.  Girard — Battle:  Chickasaw  Bluffs.     Detailed  in  the  1 7th  Ohio 

Battery,  April  6th,  1863.     Battles:     Grand    Gulf,  Champion 

Hill,  Black  River  Bridge,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau. 

Returned  to  his    regiment    June    ist,  1864.      Battles  :     Forts 

Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  Mobile. 

William  Girard — Battle:     Chickasaw    Bluffs.      Died    on    steamer 

J.  C.  Swan,  January  3 ist,  1863. 
H.   Hazle. 

J.  Hunt — Battle:  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Transferred  to  Veteran 
Reserve  Corps,  September  ist,  1863. 

H.  Hill — Battles:     Chickasaw    Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,    Vicksburg. 
Died  at  Vicksburg,  August  8th,  1863. 
16 


234  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.     V.   t. 

A  Hopkins — -Died  at  home,  in  Logan  County,  Ohio,  March  2ci, 
1863. 

J.  W.  Johnson — Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Arkansas  Post, 
Vicksburg.  Transferred  to  Company  D. 

M.  [ones — Battle:  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Died  at .  M  illiken's  Bend, 
May  2ist,  1863. 

R.Jacobs — Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicks 
burg,  Jackson,  Sabine  Cross- Roads,  Farts  Gaines,  •  Morgan 
arid  Spanish,  Mobile.  Transferred  to  Company  E. 

S.S.Kline — Battle:  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Discharged  at  Miliiken's 
Bend,  \pril  loth,  1863,  by  order  of  General  Grant. 

William  Knox — Battle :  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Discharged  at 
Young's  Point,  March  roth,  1863,  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of 
disability. 

C.  Lippencott — Discharged  at  Columbus,  March  2oth,  1863. 

L.  Linge. 

M.  Linge. 

[.     R.     Lambert — Battles :       Chickasaw    Bluffs,    Arkansas    Post, 

Vicksburg,    Jackson,    Grand     Coteati,   Sabine    Cross-Roads. 

Captured  at  Marksville,  May  i6th,  1864;  exchanged  October 

23d,  1864.      Battles:   Spanish  Fort,  Mobile. 

1).  L.  Moots — Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson, 
Grand  Coteau.  Wounded  in  left  arm.  Captured  November 
3d,  1863;  exchanged  November  4th,  1863.  Battles:  Sabine 
(>oss-.Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  Mobile. 

J.  W.  May — Battles;  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg.  Discharged 
at  Columbus  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability,  September 
lyth,  1863. 

P.  Mattox. 

fames  Miller — Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Aakansas  Post,  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  Mobile. 

John  Miller — Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post.  Died  at 
Benton  Barracks,  July  i4th,  1863. 

A.  H.  Mefford. 

T.    McKenney — Battle:  Chickasaw  Bhiffs.      Hied  at   Providence, 

Miss.,  January  igth,   1863. 
C.  B.  Mustain — Battles:     Chickasaw   Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Forts 

Gaines  and   Morgan. 
M.  G.  Milligan — Battle  :     Chickasaw  Bluffs.      Died  at   Miliiken's 

Bend,  March  2oth,  1863. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  1.  235 

N.  I).  Nichols — Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Grand  Corteau,  Sa 
bine  Cross- Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  Mobile. 

S.  P.  Patrick — Discharged  at  Keokuk,  February  2oth,  1863. 

M.  Pence — Battle:  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Died  a.1  Jefferson  Bar 
racks,  February  yt.li,  1863. 

R.  H.  Petty— Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Yicks- 
burg,  Jackson,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan 
and  Spanish,  Mobile. 

J.  M.  Paysell— Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  and  Jack 
son.  Captured  in  action  at  Grand  Coteau,  La.,  November 
3d,  1863;  exchanged  May  ist,  1864.  Battles:  Forts  Gaines 
and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

A.  Rowand — Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  and  Jackson. 
Died  at  V .  S.  hospital  New-Orleans,  La.,  Nov.  25th,  1863. 

L.  Reed. 

J.  VV.  Rairdon — Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicks 
burg,  and  Jackson.  Captured  at  Grand  Coteau,  November 
3d,  1863;  exchanged  May  ist,  1864.  Died  at  New-Orleans, 
La.,  May  25th,  1864. 

G.  VV.  Rairdon — Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  and 
Vicksburg.  Died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  July  28th,  1863. 

Jno.  Stockmyer — Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson, 
Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Mor 
gan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile- 

C.  W.  Stevenson — Battles:   Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson, 

Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile. 

H.  Swartz — Battle  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Died  at  Jefferson  Barracks, 
Mo.,  February  yth,  r863- 

M.  F.  Stone— Battle  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Died  at  Milliken's  Bend, 
La.,  May  i8th,  1863. 

J.  F.  Shumate— Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson, 
Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Mor 
gan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

H.  A.  Shugh — Battles:  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

D.  N.  Sowles — Battle:  Sabine  Cross-Roads.      Transferred  to  Co. 

A. 

G.  F.  Shumate — Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Grand 
Coteau.  Captured  at  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  La.,  April  8th, 
1864;  exchanged  October  23d,  1864.  Battles:  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile. 


236  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

A.  Thompson — Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicks- 
burg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Spanish 
Fort  and  Mobile. 

J.  Taylor. 

J.  M.  Taylor — Died  at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  January  loth,  1863. 

\V.  Taylor — Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Vicksburg.  Captured 
at  Grand  Coteau,  November  3d,  1863  ;  exchanged  May  ist, 
1864.  Battles  :  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

S.Taylor — Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads.  Captured  April  8th,  1864;  exchanged  October  23d, 
1864.  Battles:  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

H.  Vanness — Battle  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Died  at  Milliken's  Bend, 
La.,  March  lyth,  1863. 

S.  P.  Wood — Battle  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg, 
Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

A.  L.  Williams. 

J.  J.  Wright — Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson. 
Captured  at  Grand  Coteau  ;  exchanged  May  ist,  1864.  Bat 
tles  :  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

M.  W.  Wright — Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson, 
Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Mor 
gan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

J.  A.  Watt — Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and 
Mobile. 

C.  L.   Zeigler — Battles:    Chickasaw    Bluffs    and    Arkansas   Post. 

Transferred  to  V.  R.  Corps,  September  ist,  1863. 

D.  Zeigler — Battles :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg, 

Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines 
%and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 


COMPANY  K. 

HORATIO  C.  HAMILTON,  Captain.       Appointed  August    yth, 

1862  ;  resignation  accepted  August  9th,  1863. 
JONAS  KLINE — ist  Lieutenant.     AppointecJ  August  yth,  1862  ; 

promoted  to  Captain  April  ist,   1863  ;    resignation   accepted 

March  i8th,  1864. 
THOMAS  L.  EVANS,  2d  Lieutenant.      Appointed    August    7th, 

promoted  to  Captain,  and  assigned  to  Co.  C. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   I.  237 

W.  J.  Maines,  ist  Sergeant.  Unlisted  July  2ist,  1X62;  dis 
charged  for  disability  March  9th,  1863. 

William  W.  Laughead,  2d  Sergeant.  Enlisted  August  6th,  1862  ; 
died  of  fever  November  28th,  186^. 

A.  J.  Smith,  3d  Sergeant.  Enlisted  August  6th,  1862;  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg.  Jackson  and 
Grand  Coteau.  Mustered  out  November  i8th,  1864. 

J.  Painter,  4th  Sergeant.  Enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau, 
Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan.  Mustered  out  Nov.  i8th,  1864. 

L.  Hill,  5th  Sergeant.  Enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battles: 
Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Grand  Coteau.  Transferred  to  Co.  C 
November  i8th,  1X64. 

(T.  Mitchell,  isl  Corporal.  Enlisted  July  28th,  [862.  Battles: 
C'hickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine 
(  ross- Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and 
Mobile. 

G.  Butler,  2d  Corporal.  Enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles : 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile.  Transferred  to  Co.  C  November  i8th,  1864. 

M.  W.  Judy,  jd  Corporal.  Enlisted  August  6th,  1862 ;  dis 
charged  for  disability  March  24th,  1863. 

D.Edwards,  4th  Corporal.  Enlisted  August  6th,  1862;  dis 
charged  for  disability  February  2oth,  1863. 

H.  Shunnamon,  5th  Corporal.  Enlisted  August  6th,  1862. 
Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan  and 
Spanish  Fort ;  transferred  to  Co.  C  November  i8th,  1864. 

J.  F.  Shearer,  6th  Corporal.  Enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Bat 
tles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  Vicksburg ;  transferred  to  Co.  E 
November  i8th,  1864. 

Abraham  Cobb,  yth  Corporal.  Enlisted  July  28th,  1862.  Bat 
tles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson 
and  Grand  Coteau  :  promoted  to  Sergeant  March  ist,  1863  ; 
killed  in  battle  of  Grand  Coteau. 

William- Smith,  8th  Corporal.  Enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Bat 
tle  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs;  discharged  for  disability  April  T4th, 
1863. 

I.  H.  Barnes — enlisted  August  2d,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Port  Gibson,  Raymond,  Champion  Hill, 
Vicksburg.  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Forts  Gaines  and  Mor 
gan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile ;  transferred  to  Co.  C  Novem 
ber  i8th,  1*64. 


238  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

J.  W.  Barnes — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles;  Chickasaw 
Bluffs.  Vicksburg,  Jackson.  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan.  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 
Transferred  to  Co.  A  November  i8th,  1864. 

S.  Blue — enlisted  August  6th,  1X62.  Died  of  measles  February 
nth,  1863. 

S.  G.  Beem — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Died  January  iyth,  of  wounds. 

J.  N.  Burroughs — enlisted  August  4th,  r862.  Battles:  Chicka 
saw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson.  Grand  Coteau, 
Sabine  Cross- Roads,  Forts  (iaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile.  Transferred  to  Co.  C  November  i8th,  1864. 

L.  Beltz — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Discharged  for  disability 
March  i6th,  1863. 

F.  Beltz — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.      Battles:     Vicksburg,  Jack 

son,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine   Cross-Roads,   Forts  Gaines  and 

Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and    Mobile.     Transferred    to    Co.    C 

November  i8th,  1864. 
R.  Bowie — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.     Discharged  for  disability 

February  24th,  r863. 
B.  Bowie — enlisted  August  6th,   1862.     Discharged   for  disability 

February  i6th,  1863. 

William  Boyles — enlisted  July  26th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 
Transferred  to  Co.  D  November  i8th,  1864. 

G.  J.   Brown — enlisted  August    6th,    1862.     Battles:     Chickasaw 

Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Promoted  to  Corporal  November 
tst,  1863  ;  promoted  to  Sergeant  December  25th,  1863;  died 
of  diarrhoea  June  22d,  1864. 

W.  Blue — enlisted  August  6th,   1862.     Died    of  measles    January 

i3th,  1863. 
J.  Culver — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.     Battle:     Chickasaw  Bluffs. 

Died  of  measles  January   2yth,  1863. 

J.  R.  Carter — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Sabine  Cross  Roads,  Forts  Gaines  'and 
Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile.  Transferred  to  Co.  C 
November  iSth  1864. 

R.Clark — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw  Bluffs. 
Died  of  diarrhoea  June  9th,  1863. 


SERVICE?    OF    THE    NIVETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   I.  239 

A.  Coolidge — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  and  Arkansas  Post.  Promoted  to  Corporal  March  rst, 
1863  ;  Died  April  i2th,  1863. 

D.  B.    Croy — enlisted    August    6th,    1862.       Battle:     Chickasaw 
Bluffs.      Died  of  diarrhea  January  3oth,  1863. 

E.  Dobbins — enlisted    August   6th,    1862.     Battles:     Chickasaw 

Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau  and  Sabine  Cross 
Roads,  Forts, Gaines  and  Morgan  and  Spanish  Fort  and  Mo 
bile.  Promoted  to  Corporal  March  ist,  1863;  Promoted  to 
Sergeant  November  4th,  1864. 

J.  R.  Elliott — enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Discharged  February 
1 6th,  1863,  for  disability. 

E.   Eaton — enlisted  August  4th,  1862.      Died  February  23d,  1863. 

I.  W.  Eppes— enlisted  August  6th,  1862.      Died  July  roth,  1863. 

William  Eppes — enlisted  August  6th,  [862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Vicksburg.  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  and  Mobile. 

R.  I).  Finley — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Transferred  to  Co.  E 
November  i8th,  1864.  Battles:  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand 
Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and 
Spanish,  and  Mobile. 

|.  Finley — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Transferred  to  Company 
E  November  1864.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas 
Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  and  Mobile. 

N.  Gibson — enlisted  August  2(1.  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs, 
Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg  and  Sabine  Cross-Roads  .  Died  of 
wounds  received  at  the  latter  place,  April  r6th,  1864. 

J.  Grow — Enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs 
and  Arkansas  Post. 

J.  N.  Gosnell — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Transferred  to  Co.  C 
November  i8th,  1864.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas 
Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau  and  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads.  Discharged  December  6th,  1864,  on  account  of 
wounds. 

A.  D.  Gowan — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Forts  Gaines,  Morgan  and  Spanish,  and  Mobile. 

\i.  Gladhill — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Captured  at  Grand 
Coieaii,  November  3d,  1863,  and  exchanged  December  25th. 
1863.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg, 
Jackson,  Gram!  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Fort  Spanish 
and  Mobile. 


240  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  T. 

J.  Hommans — enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Battle  :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs.  Discharged  March  i6th,  1863,  for  disability. 

W.  T.  Hovvsmon — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Transferred  to  Co. 
C,  November  i8,th,  1864.  Captured  at  Sabine  Cross-Roads. 
April  8th,  1864,  and  exchanged  October  23(1,  1864.  Battles  : 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

J.  Hommans — enlisted  August  6th,  1864.  Transferred  to  Co.  D, 
November  i8th,  1864.  Captured  at  Grand  Coteau,  Novem 
ber  3d,  1863,  and  exchanged  May  ist,  1864.  Battles  :  Chick 
asaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg.  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Forts  Gaines, 
Morgan  and  Spanish,  and  Mobile. 

R.  Johnston — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post  and  Vicksburg.  Discharged  August 
8th,  1863. 

S.  L.  Johnston — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Transferred  to  Vete 
ran  Reserve  Corps,  December  3oth,  1864. 

A.  Kightlinger — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Transferred  to  Co. 
C.  November  i8th,  1864.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkan 
sas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Grand  Coteau.  Sabine  Cross-Roads, 
Forts  Gaines  and  Spanish,  and  Mobile. 

William  Kightlinger — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Transferred  to 
Co.  C,  November  i8th,  1864.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs. 
Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Morgan 
and  Spanish,  and  Mobile. 

C.  H.  Kinney — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Transferred  to  Co.  C, 
November  t8th,  1864.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Vicks 
burg,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

William  Kent — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Discharged  December 
24th  1862. 

F.    M.   Kline — enlisted  August    6th,     1862.     Transferred  to  Co- 
C  November  i8th,    1864.     Battles :    Chickasaw    Bluffs,    Ar 
kansas  Post,   Vicksburg,  Forts  Gaines  and   Morgan.   Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

A.  Lentz— enlisted  August  6th,   1862.     Battle:  Chickasaw  Bluffs. 

S.  Lentz — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Died  of  measles,  January 
27th,  1863. 

B.  Lentz — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.      Battles:  Chickasaw 'Bluffs 

and  Arkansas  Post. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   I.  241 

R.  A.  Liggett — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Promoted  to  Corporal 
March  131,1863;  promoted  to  Sergeant  August  i  gth,  1863; 
promoted  to  ist  Sergeant  September  ist,  1863.  Detached  on 
recruiting  service  December  6th,  1863  ;  returned  to  regiment 
March  i3th,  1864.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post, 
Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads, 
Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

W.  Matthe\vs — -enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Transferred  to  Co  C, 
Nov.  1 8th,  1864.  Captured  at  Sabine  Cross-Roads  April  8th 
1864;  paroled  June  i6th,  1864;  exchanged  June  8th,  1865; 
discharged  May  3°th,  1865.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Ar 
kansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  and  Sabine 
Cross-Roads. 

D.  McNeal — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Transferred  to  Co.  C, 
Nov.  1 8th,  1864.  Captured  at  Grand  Coteau,  November  3d. 
1863;  exchanged  May  ist,  1864.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs. 
Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson.  Grand  Coteau.  Forts 
Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

{.  G.  Marks — enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs.  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  and  Sabine  Cross-Roads. 
Died  at  Columbus,  Ohio. 

S.Moore — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battle  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs. 
Died  of  measles  January  i3th,  1863 

James  Martin — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post.  Died  of  fever  April  27th,  1863. 

J.  Mackey — enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battle :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps  August  rst, 
1863. 

J.  Martin — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Died  of  fever  June 
3d.  1863,  at  Lexington. 

J.  McCampbell — enlisted  August  8th,  1862.  Discharged  for  dis 
ability,  June  4th,  1863. 

B,  F.  McCrary — enlisted  August  6th,  1,862.  Died  of  measles, 
January  27th,  1863. 

D  Mclntire — enlisted  August  ist,  1862.  Mustered  out  May  25th, 
1865.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Sa 
bine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort 
and  Mobile. 

J.  W.  Morford — enlisted  August  ist,  1862.  Transferred  to  com 
pany  C,  November  8th,  1864.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs, 
Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads, 
Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 


242  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  I. 

G.  VV.  Mitchell— enlisted  August   rst,   1862.     Battle  :    Chickasaw 
Bluffs.      Died  February  i2th,  1863. 

J.  Nunnenmaker — enlisted  August  ist,  1862.  Battle  :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs.  Died  January  2oth,  1863. 

S.  Nash — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battle  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs. 
Died  January  22d,  1863. 

J.  S.  Perry — enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw  Bluffs. 
Died  January  pth,  1863. 

G.  W.  Ruehlin — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Died  Octo 
ber  4th,  1864. 

T.  Reed — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw  Bluffs. 
Died  February  [4th,  1863. 

J.  L.  Reed — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw  Bluffs. 
Died  February  2d.  1863. 

W.D.Spain — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs.  Died  January  2ist,  1863. 

B.  Shirk — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Transferred  to  company 
C.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Sabine  Cross- 
Roads,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

J.  Stephenson — enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Died  March  2oth, 
1863. 

G.  B.  Smith — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Transferred  to  company 
C,  November  i8th,  1864;  discharged  October  2yth,  1864. 

B.  T.  Stubert — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Transferred  to  com 
pany  C,  November  i8th,  1864;  promoted  to  Corporal  Octo 
ber  2oth,  1862  ;  captured  at  Sabine  Cross- Roads,  April  8th, 
1864;  exchanged  October  236,  1864.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Span 
ish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

E.  Spain — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Transferred  to  company  C. 
November  i8th,  1864.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas 
Post,  Vicksburg,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Mor 
gan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

William  T.  Steriin — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Transferred  to 
Company  E,  November  i8th,  1864.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson. 

A.  Turner — enlisted  August  4th,  1862.  Transferred  to  Company 
C,  November,  1864.  Captured  at  Sabine  Cross- Roads, 
April  8th,  1864;  exchanged  October  23d,  1864,  at  mouth  of 
Red  River.  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Sa 
bine  Cross-Roads,  Forts  Spanish  and  Morgan,  Mobile. 


SERVICE?    OF    THF    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.   I.  243 

T.  Turner — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Discharged  for  disability 
July  27th,  1863, 

J.  M.  Tucker  —  enlisted    August    6th,  1862.     Battles:     Chiokasaw 

Bluffs,    Vicksburg.      Discharged    for    disability    August  i8th. 

1863. 
A.  Turner — enlisted  August  4th,  1862.   Battles:   Chickasaw Bluffs, 

Arkansas    Post,  Vicksburg,    Jackson.     Killed    in     action     at 

Jackson,  July  roth,  1863. 

W.  H.  Turner — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles  :  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post.  Promoted  to  Corporal  November 
ist,  1862;  to  Sergeant,  December  2Oth,  1862;  to  ist  Ser 
geant,  March  Qth,  1863.  Supposed  to  have  died  on  hospital 
boat  Nashville. 

}.  H.  Tanner — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battles:  Jackson, 
Grand  Coteau,  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  Spanish  Fort,  Mobile. 
Captured  at  Sabine  Cross-Roads  April  8th,  1864  ;  exchanged 
October  25d,  1864.  Battles  :  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Vicksburg. 
Promoted  to  Corporal  March  ist,  1863. 

James  VVilber — enlisted  August*  6th,  r862.  Died  February  ist, 
1863. 

A.  Webster — enlisted  August  5th,  1862.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post.  Discharged  for  disability  August 
25th,  1863. 

S.  R.  VVestlake — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Died  at  Lexington. 
February,  i4th,  1863. 

T.  Wheeler,  August 6th,  1862.  Battle:  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  Dis 
charged  for  disability  February  iyth,  1863. 

Jas  Williams — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Battle:  Vicksburg. 
Discharged  for  disability  August  i8th,  1863. 

D.  Wells — enlisted  August  5th,  1862.     Died  April  26th,  1863. 
T.    Young  —  enlisted    August    6th,    1862,       Battle:       Chickasaw 
Bluffs.     Died  January  22d,  1863. 

J.  Blake — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Promoted  to  Corporal,  to 
date  from  enlistment.  Died  April  5th,  1863. 

H.  P.  McAdams — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Transferred  to 
company  C,  November  r8th,  1864.  Battles:  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau, 
Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and  Mobile. 

\\m.  Walke — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Transferred  to  Veteran 
Reserve  Corps. 


244  SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.   V.  I. 

M.  M.  Griffin — enlisted  August  6th,  1862.  Transferred  to  com 
pany  C,  November  i8th,  1864:  Battles:  Chickasaw  Bluffs. 
Arkansas  Post,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Grand  Coteau,  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  Forts  Gaines  and  Morgan,  Spanish  Fort  and 
Mobile. 

Wellington  Armstrong— enlisted  December  3oth,  1863.  Transferred 
to  Co.  C,  November  i8th,  1864. 

Edgar  G.  McGill — enlisted  February  i3th,  1864.     Transferred  to 

Co.  C,  November  iHth,  1864. 
Matthew  W ebb — enlisted  February  i2th,  1864.     Transferred  to  Co. 

C,  November  i8th,  1864. 
Wm.  Green — enlisted   February  23d,   1864.    Drowned  at  Algiers. 

La. 
Leander  Robert — enlisted   February    29th,  1864.    Transferred  to 

Co.  D,  November  i8th,  1864. 
Lorenzo   Hobert — enlisted  February  ^5th,  1864      Transferred   to 

Co-  E,  November  i8th,  1864. 
Alfred  P.  Liggett — enlisted  February  nth,  1864.    Died  September 

15  th,  1864. 
Samuel    Webb — enlisted    February    2oth,    1864.     Transferred    to 

Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  June  i9th,  1864. 
Wm.  M.  Liggett — enlisted  February    29th,   1864.     Transferred  to 

Co  C,  November  i8th,  1864. 
David  H-  Woodburn — enlisted  February  29th,  1864.     Transferred 

to  Co.  C,  November  i8th,  1864. 
Alvin   Stone — enlisted  February   29th,   1864.     Died   March  27th, 

1864,  at  Memphis,  Term. 
Thompson  O.  Cole— enlisted  February  29th,  1864.      Transferred 

to  Co.  C,  November  i8th,  1864. 
George  Mclntyre — enlisted    August  22d,    1864.     Transferred  to 

Co.  C,  November  igth,  1864. 


On  page  43,  seven  lines  from  top,  and  un  page  46,  five  lines  from  bottom, 
Charley  Staiifield  should  read  Jesse  Stanfield. 

On  page  188,  eleven  lines  from  top,  Joseph  Wetheny  should  be  Joseph 
Metheny. 

It  may  be  that,  in  the  foregoing  list  of  officers  and  men,  errors  in  dates 
and  names  occur,  which  it  has  been  impossible  to  correct  for  want  of  time 
irs  completing  the  work  by  January  12th,  1875. 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O.  V.  L  34f> 

DISTANCES  TRAVELED  BY  THE96TH  O.V.  I. 

ON  FOOT. 

MIIJE8. 

Covington,  Ky.,  to  Camp  Bates,  Septembers,  1862,        .  .  .4 

Camp  Bates,  Ky. ,  to  Falmouth,  October  8  to  11,  1862,  .  .          45 

Falmouth,  Ky.,  to  Cynthiana,  October  20,  1862,  .  .  .25 

Cynthiana,  Ky.,  to  Paris,  October  23,  1862.    ....          14 

Paris,  Ky.,  to  Button's  Pond,  October  28,  1862,     .  .  .  .20 

Button's  Pond,  Ky.,  to  Camp  Price  (near  Nicholasville)  Oct.- 31,  1862,     16 
Camp  Price  to  Louisville,  October  11  to  16,    .  .  .  .          85 

Milliken's  Bend,  La. ,  to  Dallas  Station,  December  25  and  26,    .  .     50 

Johnson's  Landing,  Miss.,  to  Chi ckasaw,  December  27,        .  .  7 

Return,  January  1,  1863,     .......      7 

Landing  to  Arkansas  Post,  Ark.,  and  return,  January  10  to  13,        •          12 
Landing  at  Young's  Point  to  Camp,          .  .  .  .  .4 

Greenville,  Miss.,  to  Widow  Buckner's  and  return,  February  17,    .          16 
River  to  Red  Fork  Bayou  and  return,  February  19  and  20,        .  .     24 

Greenville  to  Judge  Dixon's  Plantation  and  return,  Febr'ry  23  and  24,    30 
Milliken's  Bend  to  Holmes'  Plantation,  April  15  and  16,       .  20 

Holmes'  Plantation  to  Smith's,  April  24,  .  .8 

Carthage  to  Perkins'  Plantation,  April  25,       .  .  .  .  6 

Warrenton,  Miss. ,  to  Vicksburg,  May  30,  .  .  .  .12 

Vicksburg,  Miss.,  to  Jackson,  July  5  to  10,      ....          45 

Jackson,  Miss.,  to  Dry  Creek,  July  18,  .  ...      4 

Dry  Creek  to  Bryan's  Station  and  return,  July  19  and  20,     .  .          30 

Dry  Creek  to  Vicksburg,  July  20  to  23,     .  .  .  .  .    41 

Manning's  Plantation  (12  miles  out  and  20  miles  back)  Sept.  25  and  26,    32 
Berwick,  La  ,  to  Grand  Coteau,  October  7  to  15,         ...          88 
Grand  Coteau,  La. ,  to  Barnes'  Landing  (via  Opelousas  and  return  direct).     30 
Grand  Coteau  to  New  Iberia,  November  6  to  8,  .  .  .40 

New  Iberia,  La. ,  to  Berwick,  December  7  to  10,          .  .  .          48 

Decrow's  Point,  Texas,  to  Fort  Vance,  January  20  to  25,  .  .     92 

Fort  Vance  to  Decrow's  Point,  .....  7 

Berwick,  La.,  to  camp  near  Franklin,  March  7  and  8,     .  .  .30 

Franklin,  La.,  to  Alexandria,  March  16  to  26,  .  .  .163 

Alexandria,  La. ,  to  Natchitocb.es,  March  28  to  April  2,  .  .  .80 

Natchitoches,  La.,  to  Pleasant  Hill,  April  6  and  7,  ...  35 
To  Battle-Ground  of  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  La. ,  and  return,  April  8,  .  36 
Pleasant  Hill,  La. ,  to  Grand  Ecore,  April  6  to  11.  .  .  35 

Grand  Ecore,  La.,  to  Alexandria,  April  22  to  25,  .  .     84 

Alexandria,  La. ,  on  Grand  Ecore  road  to  skirmish  and  return,  May  2  to,8,  18 
Alexandria,  La.,  to  Old  River,  May  13  to  21,  .  .  .  100 


246  SERVICES    Of    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    0 

Mouth  of  Old  River  to  Morganza  and  trip  back,  May  22,           .  .     30 

Morganza,  La. ,  to  Atchaf  alaya  and  scout,  October  18  to  28,  1864,  .          50 

Scout  at  Games'  Landing  on  way  to  White  River,  November  6,  .     12 

Fort  Morgan,  Ala.,  to  Fish  River,  March  17  to 23,     .            .  46 

Fish  River  to  Spanish  Fort,  March  26  and  27,       .            .            .  .14 

Spanish  Fort.  Ala,,  to  Blakeiy,  April  9,  7 

Blakely,  Ala.,  to  Stark  Landing,  April  11,             .  .     11 

Catfish  Landing  to  Mobile,  April  12,                ...  5 

Mobile,  Ala.,  to  Whistler,  April  13,  .       6 
Whistler  to  Nannahuhbah  Bluffs, near  mouth  of  Tombigbee,  Apr.  19to21     35 

Scout  from  Mclntosh  and  return,         ....  24 

168B 
BY  RAILROAD. 

Delaware,  O.,to  Cincinnati,  Sept.  1,  1862,  ....   143 

Algiers,  La.,  to  Brashear  City,  October  3,  1863,  .            .            .85 

Brashear  to  Algiers,  December  13,            .  .                        .     .       .     85 

Algiers  to  Brashear,  March  4,  1864,      .  85 

Cincinnati  to  Columbus,      .            .            .  ...            .            .  119 

517 
BY  WATER. 

Louisville,  Ky.,  to  Memphis,  Tenn.,  November  20  to  27,      .            .  600 

Memphis  to  Milliken'a  Bend,  La.,  December  21  to  24,     .                        .  400 

Millkea's  Bend  to  Johnson's  Landing,  Miss. ,  December  27,              .  26 

Johnson's  Landing  to  mouth  of  White  River,  January  1  to  8,    .            .  245 

Mouth  of  White  River  to  Arkansas  Post,  Ark.,  December  9,            .  70 
Landing  near  Arkansas  Post  to  Young's  Point,  Miss.,  January  13  to  21,  325 

Young's  Point  to  Greenville,  Miss. ,  February  15  to  16,               .            .  142 

Greenville  to  Cypress  Bend,  25  miles  below  Napoleon,  Feb.  18,  1863,  50 

Near  Napoleon,  Arkansas,  to  Greenville,  February  21  and  22.          .  50 

Greenville  to  Young's  Point,  February  25  and  26,            ...  142 

Young's  Point  to  Milliken's  Bend,  March  12,              ...  17 

Str.  Empire  City,  from  Smith's  to  Carthage  (swamps,  &c.)  March  25,  2 

Perkin's  Plantation,  La.,  to  Warrenton,  Miss.,  May  28  and  29,              .  '37 

Vicksburg,  Miss.,  to  Carrollton,  La.,  August  23  to  26,           ...  400 
Carrollton  to  Manning's  Plantat'n,  2  miles  below  Donaldsonv'le,  Aug.  25   70 

Return  from  Manning's  Plantation  to  Carrollton',  September  28,            .  70 

Carrollton,  La.,  to  Algiers,        ......  7 

Algiers,  La.,  to  Decrow's  Point,  Tex.,  December  18 to  21,          .            .  500 

Decrow's  Point  to  Algiers,  February  28  to  March  3,  1864,    .            .  500 

Morganza  to  Baton  Rouge,  La.,  May  28,                          ...  43 


SERVICES    OF    THE    NINETY-SIXTH    O,    V   1.  247 

Baton  Rouge  to  Algiers,  La.,  July  20.             «                        .            <  140 

Algiers,  La,,  to  Dauphine  Island,  (coast).             t            ;            .  .  220 

Fort  Gaines  to  Navy  Cove,       .            .            .            .            .            ,  10 

Fort  Morgan  to  Cedar  Point,  Ala.,                                     .            .  .12 

Cedar  Point,  Ala,  to  Morganza,  La.,     .  402 

Morganza  to  mouth  of  White  River,  Ark.,  November  1  to  8,      .  .  480 

Mouth  of  White  River  to  Kennerville,  La.,  February  5  to  8,  1865,  630 

Kennerville,La.,  to  Navy  Cove,  Ala.,  February  16  to  18, (direct),  .  212 

Stark  Landing  to  Catfish  Landing,  April  12,               .                        .  12 

Nannahubbah  Bluffs,  Ala. ,  to  Mclntosh  Bluffs,  April  26,  .     10 
Mclntosh,  Ala.,  to  Mobile,  May  9,       .      ,     .                                   .55 

Mobile  to  New-Orleans,      .            .  .   180 

New-Orleans  to  Cairo,  111,        .                                     ...  1077 
Cairo  to  Cincinnati,              .......  560 

7886 
RECAPITULATION. 

Traveled  on  Foot,           .                       .....  1683 

Traveled  by  Railroad,          .....  .517 

Traveled  by  Water,       .                        .,.>...  7686 

Total  Miles,       ....  .9886 


5I2J2 


M157448 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


